Groundxero Report | 16th October, 2023

The Indian government under Narendra Modi have criminalised all opposition to Israel’s genocide campaign in Gaza and intensified crackdown against all who are coming out in solidarity with the Palestinian people and its struggle against Israel’s for their right to self-determination and independence. 

Today, the Delhi police under Union Home Ministry, unleashed brutal violence and repression against Palestinian solidarity protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi for commencing Citizens Vigil demanding Justice for Palestine, implementation of UN resolutions on Palestine, stop siege of Gaza and No To Killing Of Civilians.

Various civil society groups, mass organizations and intellectuals have called for the citizen’s protest at Jantar Mantar but they were summarily detained before they could make it to the protest venue. The police attacked and detained people joining the protest which included students, various trade union activists and also Delhi University’s Professor Saroj Giri. A Delhi University student was chased down by the police and physically assaulted. She was then detained. CPI(ML) Liberation, IFTU, PMS, AISA and PDSU activists and leaders were among those detained by the police and taken to various police stations across the city.

Earlier, on October 9, four students at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh were booked and had an FIR filed against them under Sections 153A (promoting enmity among different groups), 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant) and 505 (statements conducting to public mischief) of the IPC for taking out a pro-Palestine march and raising slogans in support of Palestine, and against Israel. Responding to the incident, the Uttar Pradesh labour minister, Raghuraj Singh, called AMU as a ‘hub of terrorists’. Students at Jamia Millia Islamia University were also detained, and their posters were torn by the police for a demonstration in support of Palestine. In Allahabad, the Police detained members of Disha Students Organization.

In Kashmir, the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar was preemptively shut down prior to its Friday prayers out of fear that pro-Palestine protests would emerge after the conclusion of the prayers. Chairperson of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was once again placed under house arrest as part of the pre-emptive clampdown. A member of the managing body of Jama Masjid, told The Wire that a team of police officials closed the gates of the mosque ahead of the afternoon prayers and worshippers were turned away.

According to Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), in Karnataka, one Aslam Basha was detained for a WhatsApp status in support of Palestine. Activists associated with Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India, Shivani Kaul, Prasen, Baban Thoke, Ashay, Shashank, Dhananjay were put under house arrest and then subsequently detained in Delhi, Allahabad, and Mumbai when they called for a protest on October 13. In Telangana, Bhargavi, Hina, Sreeja, Sam, Geetha, Anita, Mahipal and Anand were detained.

In Mumbai, two young activists, Ruchir and Supreeth were arrested by the Mankhurd Police on 14 October, in connection with a protest against the Israeli government’s ongoing violent attacks impacting civilians in Palestine. They both suffered physical injuries at the hands of the police. Eight other activists were detained in Delhi for similar reasons.

In AMU, the university authorities and the police have gone so far as to say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tweet describing the attacks by Hamas as “terrorist attacks”, and expressing solidarity with Israel, is the official ‘stand of the country’ and any protest in support of Palestine and its self-determination is deemed to be in contravention to the law of the land. What they imply is that the ‘law of the land’ and the country’s official position on an international conflict will henceforth be decided on the basis of a tweet by Narendra Modi.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has already said that “any activity contrary to the views of Government of India would not be accepted on this issue”, and has ordered the police to clamp down on any social media post or activity in support of Palestine. Following his order, a Muslim cleric named Suhail Ansari (23) was arrested in Hamirpur on last Saturday for “promoting enmity” by allegedly supporting Palestine in posts on social media.

India’s formal stand on the issue as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs, which came a few after the PM’s tweet, reaffirming India’s long-standing position, advocating negotiations towards establishing a “sovereign, independent and viable” state of Palestine has little meaning in the eyes of Hindutva fascist forces who are using the PM’s tweets to foster hatred towards Muslims in India. Indian law guaranteeing its citizens the right to assemble and protest freely has taken a backseat, with the police suppressing pro-Palestine demonstrations, particularly in the states ruled by the BJP. An atmosphere of fear-mongering and of Zionist support is being built by this suppression of Palestinian support, even when Palestine’s just right to self-determination is recognized by the United Nations too.

To propagate the narrative of victim-hood and the myth of Israel defending itself against Islamic terrorism, India towing the line of USA and Western Governments, the ruling BJP leaders and IT-cell brigade warriors, the corporate sponsored-media have all labelled Palestinians, along with anyone defending Palestinians as supporters of terrorism. By coming out totally in support of Israel, without mentioning decades of Israel’s illegal occupation and violent repression of Palestine right to their own land, they are using the Hamas offensive for  promoting hatred against Muslims, Israel’s killing of civilians and genocide in Gaza.

Campaign Against State Repression has in a statement condemned the Zionist attacks and the war crimes committed by Israel on the people of Palestine and further condemns the Indian State’s brutal repression on Palestinian solidarity demonstrations all over India to show its loyalty towards Israel. CASR has demanded immediate release of all persons detained by the police.

The pdf copy of the statement by CASR is attached below.