Editor's Pick: Of toolkits and conspiracies

(The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.)

The bemusing case of the ‘toolkit’ continued on Monday with the Delhi Police on Monday issuing non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against Mumbai- based advocate Nikita Jacob and her associate, Shantanu Muluk who are alleged to have created the document along with the activist Disha Ravi who was arrested on Sunday.

Yesterday brought out some more details about the case the Delhi Police is making out against the toolkit. They contend that it is a document that has a section titled ‘prior action plan’ about digital strikes to be conducted through hashtags on and before January 26, tweetstorms from January 23 onwards, physical action on January 26, and joining the farmers’ march into Delhi and back to the borders. Police said the unfolding of events, including the violence of January 26, was a copycat execution of the action plan. The charge against the three activists now seems to be that they either created or edited parts of this toolkit and at some point also held a Zoom meeting with a pro-Khalistan group to create a social media buzz about the framers' protests. The police then make the leap to argue that the activists were thus working with separatists to create disaffection and ‘defame’ India.

As we noted in the editorial today, it is quite strange that none in the Delhi Police have deemed this far-fetched. Such toolkits are common for those organising protests online and the possible fact that direct protests were also discussed and planned does not mean there was any incitement to violence, a mandatory requirement to charge someone with sedition, as has been done in the case of Ms. Ravi. Both Ms. Jacob and Mr. Muluk have now sought anticipatory bail.

As this case rolls it is another example of the state resorting to heavy-handed responses to issues that attract a convergence of activism and adverse media scrutiny. That marks it out as our top pick of the day.

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