Greta org members hit the streets, lift stir after Disha bail

Kolkata: Some hundred-odd young environmental and social activists took out a rally in Kolkata on Tuesday afternoon demanding immediate release of climate activist

Disha

Ravi on the farmers’ toolkit case, held a sit in demonstration at College Street-MG Road crossing for an hour and lifted the protest soon after they got to know that Ravi was granted

bail

by a Delhi court in the late afternoon.

The rally was organised by the Bengal chapter of Fridays for Future — a youth-led grassroot movement to protect the environment, initiated by Swedish climate campaigner

Greta

Thunberg — demanding immediate release of Disha Ravi and withdrawal of charges from other environmental activists. Ravi was the founding member of the movement’s India chapter.

“We are elated that the cause we had been championing for was addressed and Ravi has finally got bail. But we would still not call it a win until and unless charges against all social and environmental activists are dropped,” said Brishti Chanda, one of the founding members of the Bengal chapter of Fridays for Future and the convenor of Tuesday’s rally.

The rally started from Sealdah around 2pm and they had plans to submit a memorandum before Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. However, less than 40 minutes into the rally with a banner — “We all are Disha Ravi. Arrest us all” — they were stopped by a team of policemen at MG Road-College Street crossing following which a four-member team walked till Raj Bhavan but couldn’t meet the Governor. They, however, submitted a memorandum at the Governor’s office.

While the team was at the Governor’s office, information reached the demonstrating students on College Street — representatives of multiple students unions and environmental rights activists — about Ravi being granted bail by a Sessions Court in Delhi on the condition of two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each.

Following Disha’s release, the group lifted the demonstration but vowed to continue their fight against atrocities on environmental activists in the future.

“We are elated to announce that Disha Ravi has been granted bail. However, we will continue to raise our voice for every other heard and unheard names of environmental, social and political activists who are still behind the bars just for exercising their constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression. Let Disha Ravi’s instance always remind us how the state terrorises its own citizens. Let us not be demoralised, instead let us raise our voice louder,” Fridays for Future, West Bengal said in a statement with hashtag #istandwithdisharavi shortly after her release.