BENGALURU: Disha Ravi’s parents Manjula and Ravi knew their daughter was passionate about civic issues But didn't know the extent of her engagement in environmental issues, Disha's family friend and advocate Prasanna R told TNIE.“Our friendship with Disha’s family goes back to three generations. I have not personally met Disha though,” he said.
“Her mother feels very proud when Disha asks people not to use plastic or waste water etc and tells them to be conscious about their civic responsibilities. But her parents didn't know to what extent she was engaged in her activism. They are very simple people and come from a humble agrarian background. The family was in deep shock for the first two days of her arrest. She spoke to them from Delhi and said she was fine,” he added.
“They are very anxious about their daughter and are praying to have her back home safely,” said Prasanna. Delhi police arrested Disha on February 13 and her five-day police custody ends on Friday.While her parents are liberal enough to allow her to think on her own, “there are elders in the family, who are concerned about a girl being engaged in civic issues,” he said.
Asked whether Disha was alerted by Nikita about the police action, Prasanna said he didn’t know whether Disha was informed about it. “Whether she is naïve or has let her guard down is difficult to answer,” he added. Nikita and another associate Shantanu have obtained anticipatory bail.
Narrating the sequence of events when the Delhi police came to her house to arrest her, Prasanna said one of Disha’s legal counsels shared the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner’s number with Manjula. “She spoke to the officer. He said he didn’t know about her daughter’s arrest and that he would speak to the jurisdictional police. He said he would look into the matter,” said Prasanna.Disha has been arrested on charges of sedition, criminal conspiracy and for creating disharmony among groups over an FIR registered by Delhi police.