India outrage after arrest of Greta Thunberg ally

Indian politicians and activists are condemning the arrest of a climate campaigner with ties to Sweden's Greta Thunberg.

22-year-old Disha Ravi, a leader of the Indian arm of Thunberg's Fridays for Future movement is accused of helping edit and distribute an online document from Thunberg in support of the ongoing protests by farmers across the country - a document that police allege spread false info.

Thunberg had originally shared a "toolkit" on Twitter which listed ways to help farmers, who have been protesting agricultural reforms.

Ravi was brought in by police over the weekend for questioning.

Prem Nath is with the Delhi police.

"The main aim of the 'toolkit' was to create misinformation and disaffection against the lawfully enacted government. The toolkit sought to artificially amplify fake news through various tweets which they have created in the form of a tweet bank."

On Sunday (February 14), a court ordered that Ravi be held in police custody for five days, sparking outrage on social media and among farm unions.

Last month, thousands of Indian farmers overwhelmed police and stormed into the historic Red Fort complex in New Delhi, after tearing down barricades and driving tractors through roadblocks.

Leo Saldanha is a member of the Environment Support Group in Ravi’s home city of Bengaluru.

"You can't just go into somebody's house which is the most secure space for everyone and pick up a young woman in front of her mother and say you have committed crimes against the nature."

A protest was being planned in the city against her arrest.

Ravi could not be reached in custody and her family was not immediately available for comment.

Thunberg said she had no comment on the detention of Ravi and the movement in India said it was awaiting clarity from the police before making any statement.