More global warming Greta Thunberg won't like! Furious Indians burn posters of the eco-campaigner after she wades into farmer protests dispute, sparking anger and a police conspiracy probe
Furious demonstrators in India have burned photos of teen climate activist Greta Thunberg after she tweeted her support for the country's protesting farmers, prompting a criminal investigation in the process.
Activists from the United Hindu Front, a religious organisation which supports Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gathered in the capital New Delhi on Thursday.
The group held signs saying that India would 'not tolerate interference in internal affairs' and burned pictures of Thunberg and the Barbadian singer Rihanna, who had also tweeted in support of the farmers.
Thunberg also managed to spark a criminal investigation in India after she tweeted a link to a Google document that included sample tweets people could share to draw attention to the farmers' protests.
The climate activist promptly deleted the tweet and later posted a second 'updated' document without the samples.
But Delhi police are now investigating the group behind the document for 'conspiracy', after a politician said it contained 'evidence of international plans for attacks against India'.
Kapil Mishra, a member of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleged that the document initially shared by Thunberg was evidence of international plans for 'attacks' against India.
The toolkits included tips commonly shared by campaign groups seeking to raise awareness for their causes, including signing petitions, contacting local representatives and adding popular hashtags to social media posts.
The 18-year-old activist's tweet came shortly after a post
Rihanna prompted praise and outrage in
India and was described as 'irresponsible' by Indian officials.
Officials have accused 'foreign individuals' and celebrities of 'sensationalism' in their comments about the protests.
On Thursday, Delhi police launched a First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the toolkit. The FIR allows police to begin an investigation into a potential crime.
'We haven't named anybody in the FIR, it's only against the creators of the toolkit which is a matter of investigation & Delhi Police will be investigating that case,' Praveer Ranjan, special commissioner of police for Delhi said in response to earlier reports that the FIR had been launched against Thunberg herself.
'Preliminary enquiry has revealed that the toolkit in question appears to have been created by a pro-Khalistani Organisation 'Poetic Justice Foundation', Ranjan said.
India Today reported that the FIR has been lodged under the Indian Penal Code's Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity), and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
The Poetic Justice Foundation are a Canada-based group that describes itself as challenging 'structures of oppression and discrimination through intersectional grassroots advocacy'.
The group's website says it is currently 'most actively involved in' the farmer's protests, which it says has 'activated the Indian diaspora worldwide'.
Millions of people have joined protests across India against controversial agricultural reforms by the central government that farmers fear will leave them poorer.
The protests, which began in November, are seen as the biggest challenge to Modi since he took office in 2014.
Farmers are demanding the withdrawal of new laws that they say will favour large corporate farms and devastate the earnings of smaller scale farmers.
The contentious legislation has exacerbated existing resentment from farmers, who have long been seen as the heart and soul of India but often complain of being ignored by the government.
Tens of thousands of farmers are camping out to protest against the new laws on the outskirts of Delhi where India has suspended some of the local mobile internet services, citing 'public safety'.
Most of the protesters are farmers from northern Punjab and Haryana states, the two biggest agricultural producers.
Due to the demographics of the states, many of the protesters come from India's Sikh minority, but their grievances economic, not religious, and are shared by members of other communities who have also been protesting.
The protest drew global attention last week when a tractor rally by farmers ended in violent clashes - previously unseen in these protests - during which one protester died and hundreds were injured.
In her tweet on Tuesday, Rihanna urged her 101million followers to pay attention to the ongoing protests.
Her comment was retweeted more than 230,000 times and liked by over half a million users.
Rihanna's tweet, which sent her name to the top of social media trends in India, sparked huge support around the world but also drew sharp criticism from some within India.
Thunberg and US Vice President Kamala Harris' niece Meena Harris both tweeted in solidarity with the striking farmers within hours of Rihanna.
'We ALL should be outraged by India's internet shutdowns and paramilitary violence against farmer protesters,' wrote Harris, whose mother was born in India.
British MP Claudia Webbe also expressed her support for the farmers. In a retweet, she said: 'Thank you Rihanna. In an era where political leadership is lacking, we are grateful for others stepping forward.'
The tweets triggered an online storm in India, where the farmers' protests have become a thorn in the side of Modi.
India's external affairs ministry said in a Wednesday
statement that the Indian parliament had passed 'reformist legislation relating to the agricultural sector' following a full debate and discussion and urged people to acquaint themselves with the facts of the issue 'before rushing to comment on such matters'.
'The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible,' it added.
There were also others who criticised Rihanna for wading into the protests against the laws which have been backed by the government and its supporters.
Members of India's ruling BJP and its supporters regularly brand their critics traitors, propagandists and 'anti-nationals'.
Some Indians tweeted in support of Rihanna, but others were not pleased, with her remarks getting abusive replies.
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, a supporter of Modi's BJP, replied to Rihanna's post by calling the protesters 'terrorists who are trying to divide India'.
'No one is talking about it because they are not farmers, they are terrorists who are trying to divide India,' she wrote.
Prominent Indian celebrities including actor Akshay Kumar and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar have also rallied behind the government.
Modi has said the laws are necessary to modernise India's agriculture sector but has tried to distance himself from the fray in recent weeks.
Farmers fear they would be placed at the mercy of big corporations if the laws came into effect.
Twitter temporarily blocked scores of accounts tweeting about the protests on Monday at the demand of the Indian government, while police have detained dozens of farmers and a journalist.
India - the world's largest democracy - regularly uses internet shutdowns to limit information sharing during disturbances.
A tweet by Greta Thunberg has led to the launch of a criminal conspiracy probe into a 'toolkit' for supporters of Indian farmers protesting against controversial agricultural reforms.
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