By Sami Ahmed
NEW DELHI—Even as the government of India has sent humanitarian aid including food, medicines and disaster relief aid to help victims of the Israeli assault on Palestine, pro-Palestinian demonstrations are continuously being held in different cities all over the country. Protesters demanded an immediate end to the bombardment of Gaza by Israeli defence forces.
However, police have taken action against demonstrators in many places, particularly in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh. Many Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Patna have witnessed pro-Palestine demonstrations following the indiscriminate bombardment on Gaza.
https://x.com/Delhiite_/status/1715624310822543870?s=20
In Delhi, several students belonging to the Students’ Federation of India and left groups were detained by police when they were demonstrating outside Israeli embassy. They raised the slogans and displayed placards with the message “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
https://x.com/RafiaSultan3/status/1714544252217155983?s=20
In UP, police arrested several persons who expressed their support for Palestine on social media. This happened after Prime Minister Modi in his tweet declared that he stands with Israel. However, the Ministry of External Affairs tweet circulated subsequently said that India stood by its old Palestine policy. But the damage was already done by PM’s tweet as thousands of persons on social media expressed their wish to go to Palestine and fight in support of Israel. Israeli ambassador in India said that his embassy had received a large number of calls from people who expressed their to fight for Israel.
https://x.com/Delhiite_/status/1715410136397943104?s=20
In Ahmedabad, civil society members, including well-known human rights activist Fr Cedric Prakash organized a candle march, demanding an immediate end to Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
They held up placards against the war in Gaza and against the attack on civilians and the targeting of hospitals, schools and places of worship. A petition was circulated demanding that all parties to the war should facilitate the delivery of lifesaving assistance, including food, medical supplies, fuel, and the resumption of electricity and internet to Gaza, to free all civilian hostages, to allow for safe passage of humanitarian and medical staff, and to allow humanitarian convoys to reach UN facilities, schools, hospitals, and health facilities in northern Gaza.
Members of civil society hailing from different communities held a silent demonstration at Charminar in Hyderabad on Tuesday to express solidarity with the people of Palestine. On Monday, AIMIM held a massive protest demonstration in Hyderabad, appealing PM Narendra Modi to open a humanitarian corridor in Gaza.
https://x.com/infomubashir/status/1716767830019125350?s=20
Hundreds of people assembled near Bengaluru’s MG metro station road to support Palestine against the offensive of Israel. Various citizens had given the call for the demonstration and formed a human chain in support of Palestine. There was a candlelight march also there.
One Affrah Sait is quoted to have said that the message of the march was to send a message to Israel to stop aggression against Gaza. He said that the videos of kids being killed brutally and buildings being bombed were just alarming.
PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti took a Palestinian flag to lead a demonstration in Srinagar on October 21. She wrote on X, “Our Palestinian brethren continue to be slaughtered while the world looks the other way with #FreePalestineNow. She said that the consequences of Israeli aggression against Palestine can be very grave for the world in the coming times. The protesters raised slogans against Israel.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti said that about 1,500 children and thousands of other innocents have been killed in Palestine but the world is watching as a mute spectator. She added, “When 500 children were killed in two years in Ukraine, the whole world cried, but today no one is speaking up. Israel is doing to Palestine what was done to the Jews in the holocaust.”
https://x.com/MehboobaMufti/status/1715633001949007898?s=20
On October 13, the Students Islamic Organisation took out a procession in Hyderabad to support Palestine. The members of the SIO carried banners against the aggression of Israel. The banners read, ‘India with Palestine’, ‘Occupation is the crime, not resistance to it’, ‘Zionism is genocide’ and ‘Palestine will be free.’
https://x.com/KashifArsalaan/status/1712855731077280029?s=20
Aligarh Muslim University students staged a demonstration in support of Palestine in Aligarh on October 13. The “AMU stands with Palestine” slogan was raised.
https://x.com/Alhamdhulillaah/status/1712537668494700680?s=20
Three communist parties CPI-ML, CPI and CPI-M organized a citizen protest meeting against the genocide of children and women in Gaza by Israel in Patna on October 15.
The general secretary of CPI-Ml Dipankar Bhattacharya said that Gaza has been converted into the biggest open jail in the world. He added “Children, elderly and women are being bombarded by Israel. There is no water or medicine in Gaza. Such blockade means a big genocide like the holocaust which the Jews faced during the time of Hitler.”
On October 19, again in Hyderabad Muslim women demonstrated against the genocide of Palestinian people carried out by Israel with the help of the US. Women and kids waved the flag of Palestine and prayed for the Palestinians.
https://x.com/DebashishHiTs/status/1715227494578815427?s=20
On October 20, there was a protest organized in Mumbai. A huge number of people gathered there and chanted slogans for Palestine and against the Israeli occupation. The next day on October 21, Mumbai again witnessed a demonstration in support of Palestine.
