Pro-Palestinian supporters demonstrate at Freedom Park in Bengaluru recently. | Photo credit: File photo
Pro-Palestinian supporters demonstrate at Freedom Park in Bengaluru recently. | Photo credit: File photo
Several prominent citizens, academics and activists have written to Home Minister G Parameshwara alleging that the Bengaluru city police have been disrupting all events, including film screenings, poetry readings and protests in solidarity with Palestine, in the city for the past year .
A total of 194 citizens including Arvind Narrain, President, PUCL – Karnataka, Senior Academician AR Vasavi, Aakar Patel, former head of Amnesty International, activist Vidya Dinker have signed the open letter written by Citizens for Justice and Peace, Bengaluru.
12 cases
The letter lists 12 instances since October 2023 when city police have disrupted events, even those scheduled to be held indoors, in solidarity with Palestine. The letter alleged that the latest such incident occurred on Thursday, October 24, when Collective Bangalore, a student organization, was harassed and called to the police station after they announced a film screening and discussion on Palestine at an undisclosed indoor location in the city.
The letter alleges that on numerous occasions the police have recruited indoor venues, threatened them and forced them to cancel events, prohibited and criminalized the display of the Palestinian flag without legal provisions, taken punitive actions against peaceful protesters, advertising activists and artists—four FIRs have been filed against protesters demonstrating in solidarity with Palestine in the past year. The letter also claims that there has been increased surveillance and harassment of activists and human rights defenders who speak out about Palestine, threatening them with criminal action.
The open letter says this is being done in a Congress-ruled state whose MP Shashi Tharoor, also chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs, has participated in and led multiple protest rallies with thousands of people in Kerala in solidarity with Palestine . The letter also said that the Union government had in February 2024 announced in the Lok Sabha that India supported Palestine and was in favor of a two-state solution.
Police response
However, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda said The Hindu that there were no instructions not to allow demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine. “Last year, when the issue was hot and sensitive, we refused permits for some protests. But that was not the policy. We also recently allowed protests in solidarity with Palestine in Freedom Park. But a group of citizens told me that local police are breaking up even indoor events in solidarity with Palestine. This will be investigated,” he said.
Published – October 25, 2024, 11:40 PM IST
