NEW DELHI (AP) — Disha Ravi, a 22-year-old climate activist in India, was arrested and charged with sedition last month for sharing an online handbook meant to help raise support for farmer protests that have convulsed India. Police say the document spread misinformation about the protests and tarnished India’s image. Although she was granted bail after 10 days in custody, the case hit home for a lot of Indians who now fear they could be jailed for simply sharing views on social media. Criminal lawyers point to a troubling frequency in the way sedition, a colonial-era law, is invoked. Critics say it’s the latest attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to mute dissent and criminalize it.
