India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI—Delhi police on Friday detained about 400 peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters who were raising slogans condemning the ongoing genocide of Palestinians since October 7 and demanding a Free Palestine. Peaceful demonstrations have been held in support of Palestinians all over India, including Kargil in the Ladakh region in the extreme north of the country and at several places in Kerala in South India. Protests in support of Palestine have also been held in Hyderabad, Mumbai and other cities.
Today’s call for the protest was given by Friends of Palestine comprising prominent individuals from different walks of life, to express solidarity with the hapless Palestinian people. The protest was organized at Jantar Mantar.
The protesters, including women, were forced into seven buses by the Delhi police and taken to different police stations. They were continuously raising slogans while being pushed into the buses. Many protesters raised the slogan “From River to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
A group of protesters was taken to Jaffarpur Police Station on the Najafgarh-Dhansa Road on the Haryana-Delhi border, about 25 km from Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The protesters raised slogans even at the police station, condemning the bombardment of Gaza by Israeli Defence Forces. More than 7,000 Palestinians, a large number of them children, have been killed in Israeli bombardments and thousands of others injured. According to international human rights organizations, about 1.5 lakh housing units have been razed to the ground in bombardments and are not worth living.
Prominent among those detained included Waseq Nadeem Khan, Laeeq Ahmed Khan, Inamurrahman Khan, Rizwan Rafeeqi, Nihal Ahmed and Ramees EK. According to the organizers, more than 2,000 persons had turned up at the protest venue. Some of them had come from as far as Varanasi. Many protesters, who had come from the neighbouring Haryana, said they were not allowed by the security personnel to the venue and were forced to go back from in front of the Kerala House, adjoining the protest site.
Some protesters alleged that police tore up their shirts.
A large number of protesters were students and women from different educational institutions in Delhi and the national capital region.
Security personnel in large numbers, including policewomen, had been deployed at the protest site to disperse protesters from the venue.
When asked, a police officer on duty, said that the protesters had not been permitted to hold the demonstrations. However, Laeeq Khan, one of the detained persons, said they had given a signed application seeking permission for a pro-Palestine protest.
Many protesters strongly criticized the Delhi police for not allowing a protest to express solidarity with the Palestinians who have been victims of Israeli atrocities for the last 75 years. They demanded that the Government of India follow the policy of Gandhi and Nehru for an independent Palestine.
The organizers demanded “an immediate ceasefire, the lifting of the Gaza siege, and international intervention to halt the brutal killing of Palestinians, including children and women.”
“We call for the cessation of all ties with Israel and urge the global community to press Israel for adherence to international laws,” the organizers said.
The organizers appealed to the Government of India “to actively contribute to the liberation and statehood of Palestine.”
“Supporting the Palestinian cause is in our national interest,” the organizers said.
They said, “The detention of peaceful protesters by Delhi police stifles democratic voices and undermines the democratic fabric of India. Citizens have the full right to engage in peaceful protests, and we call for the protection of this fundamental democratic principle.”
