New Delhi: Bombay High Court lawyer Nikita Jacob is said to be the person who created the toolkit that was ultimately shared by environmental activist Greta Thunburg on Twitter earlier this month, sources in the Delhi Police have claimed.
The police sources told ThePrint that a Delhi court has issued a non-bailable warrant against Jacob in connection with the case, and that she is “absconding”.
She, however, approached the Bombay High Court Monday seeking anticipatory bail.
“She (Jacob) fled from her residence and is now untraceable. We have an NBW issued against her and our teams are working to trace her location,” a Delhi Police source said.
“Our investigations have revealed that Jacob is the key person who created that toolkit, which was ultimately shared by Thunburg.”
The toolkit tweeted by Thunberg sought to lay down different ways people could participate in the ongoing farmers’ protest. The first one included references to “tweet storms” on or before Republic Day, and protests around Indian missions. She deleted this version before uploading another one, saying the earlier document was “outdated”.
Following this, the Delhi Police on 4 February filed a case in connection with the toolkit, booking unknown persons under relevant sections dealing with sedition, criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between religions, and provocation with intent to cause a riot.
The Delhi Police Cyber Crime Cell has already arrested a 21-year-old activist, Disha Ravi, in connection with the ‘toolkit’ case. She was Sunday produced before a Delhi court that remanded her in police custody for five days.
Meanwhile, Jacob approached the Bombay HC Monday seeking transit anticipatory bail, PTI reported. Her petition seeking an urgent hearing was mentioned before a single bench of Justice P.D. Naik. The court said it would hear the plea Tuesday.
In in her petition, Jacob has sought transit anticipatory bail for a period of four weeks so she can approach the court concerned in Delhi to apply for a pre-arrest bail.
Also Read: Why 21-yr-old climate activist associated with Greta Thunberg has been charged with sedition
Searches at Jacob’s Mumbai home
On 11 February, a Delhi Police team went to Jacob’s Mumbai residence for a search and seized electronic equipment including her phone and laptop. The search, however, could not be completed in one day, after which the police “bound down” Nikita and took it in writing that the search will continue the next day and that she cannot leave the house.
She, however, “fled the house”, a Delhi Police source claimed.
“A search was conducted at her Mumbai residence after due orders from the court. As it could not be completed in a day, and it got dark, we decided that we will continue it on 12 February. In normal course, these searches go on all night long, but since we were dealing with a woman, we decided to do it the next day,” the source said.
“When our team, which consisted of woman sub-inspectors, technical experts, went to her house the next day, she had already left,” the source added. “This is despite us bounding her down and her signing the document agreeing to not leave the premises till the search was completed.”
The police moved court after this and an NBW was issued against Jacob.
“We kept asking her parents about her location, but they did not reveal anything. Moreover, her phones are switched off. She is absconding,” the Delhi Police source said.
The Delhi Police has said the toolkit had an “action plan” that said “digital strikes through hashtags on and before 26 January will be carried out”. It also talked about “tweet storms from 23 January onwards and physical action on 26 January”.
“This particular action plan was uploaded on the public domain. The action which has been delineated in this toolkit is a copycat execution of 26 January, which is a matter of concern,” Delhi Special Commissioner of Police for Crime Praveer Ranjan had said soon after the case was registered.
“The intention of the creator of the toolkit is to create disaffection against the Government of India. It also aims at and mentions waging socio-economic war against the Government of India,” he added.
This report has been updated with information about Nikita Jacob‘s pre-arrest bail application in Bombay HC.
Also Read: Greta toolkit ‘tip of iceberg’ — India sees ‘organised attack piggybacking’ on farm protest