Multiple fake Twitter accounts impersonating Disha Ravi, a Bengaluru-based climate activist, have cropped up after her arrest on charges of editing and sharing a 'toolkit' related to the farmers' protest.
Twenty two-year-old Ravi, a co-founder of the Indian chapter of "Fridays for Future", was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police from Bengaluru on February 13, 2021, and remanded to five-day police custody by a Delhi court on February 14.
Since then, several fake accounts have sprung up on Twitter, falsely claiming to be Ravi, with some claiming to her sister or friend operating the account.
BOOM reached out to a friend of Ravi's who on the condition of anonymity confirmed that these Twitter accounts are impersonating the activist and that she is an only child.
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@climatedisha
Post the arrest on February 14, the Twitter account (@climatedisha) tweeted at 8.37 pm claiming that the account is being operated by her sister and other accounts in her name are fake. The tweet soon went viral with the Twitter account gaining around four thousand followers and the tweet getting around seven thousand retweets and 22 thousand likes.
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However, we were able to confirm with Ravi's friend on the condition of anonymity that the account is fake and she is an only child having no sister. "These accounts that I've come across that I believe are fake," said a friend of Ravi.
"What I know right now is that her Twitter handle was @disharavii and that it has probably been taken down post the arrest," added Ravi's friend.
At the time of writing this article, the fake account @climatedisha was deactivated.
The account went offline soon after The News Minute journalist Prajwal Bhat tweeted pointing out that according to Disha's friends that this was not her account.
"Disha's neighbours say that she and her mother have been living in her residence in north Bengaluru for over a year now. Activists and friends who know her well say she is the sole earner in her family," reported The News Minute.
@iDishaRavi
Another fake account (@iDishaRavi) that has been impersonating Ravi, tweeting and thanking everyone for supporting her. However, Ravi is currently in jail, and would not have access to Twitter from there.
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The account has gained around 840 followers tweeting and has been pretending to be Ravi with such tweets below thanking Ravi's well wishers.
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@Disha__Ravi
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The account @Disha__Ravi claims to be operated by a friend of Ravi named Anjana, However, on speaking to Ravi's friend who also asked the activist's other friends regarding the account stated that they did not know anyone named Anjana who claims to be Ravi's friend.
"I don't, and they (Ravi's other friends) don't know of an Anjana either," said the activist's friend to BOOM. BOOM was not able to independently verify who is behind the account.
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