Expressing their fear over the arrest of 22-year-old climate change activist Disha Ravi, 231 Indian parents have written an open letter to the Union and state governments, asking them to “ensure freedom and safety” for young children.
The statement accessed by The Quint reads, “As parents of children, teenagers and young adults we are shocked by this arrest...We have striven to inculcate in our children a love for the planet and their fellow human beings. But the abduction of Disha Ravi by the Delhi Police tells us that no young person with a sense of curiosity and passion to change the world is safe in today’s India.”
The statement by parents, who are also intellectuals and writers from Bengaluru, Karnataka, among other Indian and global cities further states, “We are horrified that Disha was arrested, taken to a different city and held in police custody with complete disregard for legal procedure...We are filled with a sense of disquiet and foreboding that any of our children could be taken from us in this manner.”
Delhi Police have been maintaining that the arrest was legal and that they had followed all required procedure during the same.
The parents have asked Delhi Police to release Ravi and the Union government to repeal Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Karnataka government should investigate Disha Ravi case and make sure that procedures of “Constitutional and criminal law” were followed, the statement read.
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