Students chanted slogans outside the Delhi police headquarters yesterday demanding the release of a 22-year-old environmentalist accused of sedition for an online document in support of farmers' protests. 

Police say Disha Ravi, a leader of the local arm of climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg's advocacy group, created and shared a "toolkit" or an action plan that was used to foment violence in Delhi last month during the protests.

Her supporters have denied she did anything illegal and said the toolkit was an information pack about the protests, which erupted late last year to demand a rollback of three new agricultural laws, and was not designed to incite violence.

"The way the police took her away is illegal," said Prasenajit Kumar, a leader of the student group which tried to march to the front gates of the police headquarters.

Her arrest in her hometown of Bengaluru on Sunday has stoked outrage and comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government faces allegations it is suppressing dissent.

Police said her detention was part of the investigation into the violence that took place on Jan. 26 when thousands of farmers tore down barricades and reached the historic Red Fort and raised a religious flag there.

Police also have arrest warrants for two of Ravi's two associates, Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk.

Jacob, a Mumbai-based lawyer, has petitioned a court, seeking to block her arrest. The court was due to hear her petition later yesterday. She said in her petition that she was trying to raise awareness about the plight of farmers protesting against deregulation of the produce market. There was no question of inciting violence, she said.

Thousands of farmers remain camped on the outskirts of New Delhi. The government says the new laws open up opportunities to farmers by allowing them to directly sell produce to private buyers such as large retailers.