Pune Police Detain Palestine Support Activists

Pune Police, on Sunday, detained around 20 citizens and activists who had gathered at Jangali Maharaj Road under the banner of Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine (IPSP), for around five hours, stating that they did not have the permission to gather. The protesters were later released with notices that they were booked for unlawful assembly and rioting, among others. The activists had gathered to protest peacefully against US President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Israel. The activists also alleged that the police pressured the protesters to give their names, phone numbers, addresses, refusing to release them without providing these personal details.

“Earlier, we were given permission to hold these demonstrations. But last night, they called our coordinator and said that we cannot protest as there were other events in the same area. We said, that is alright, but we are practicing our democratic right and we will go ahead with the same. However, the police were present at the protest site even before us to prohibit us from demonstrating,” said T. Lalita, one of the protesters and a member of IPSP.

Swapnaja Limkar, one of the members of IPSP and the coordinator of Sunday’s protest said that the protesters also offered to hold their demonstrations of the opposite side of the road.

“We said we could protest on the footpath on the opposite side. Our demonstrations would not have lasted longer than an hour. However, they were not ready to listen,” Limkar said.

The protesters alleged that they were then forcefully taken to the Deccan Police Station. “We were literally dragged and pushed into their vans to be taken to the police station. One of us was injured, they pulled my hair. We were treated brutally,” Lalita said.

Vedant of Disha Students Organisation, who was one of the protesters to be injured while being dragged into the van, said, “When we began to protest despite opposition from the police, the police undemocratically began pulling the women in the protest one by one. Lalita’s saree was torn in the process. Around four-five people pulled me and scratched my shoulder in the process, causing bleeding. They were not careful while pushing me in the van as well, which led to my face hitting the side of the van, injuring me again,” he said.

He added that the police said they would not let them leave unless they gave their personal details.

“After detaining us, the police kept asking us to give everyone’s personal details, like names, permanent addresses, phone numbers, so that they can come harass us later. We are not obligated to give any of these details to them. Yet, they are refusing to let us go without giving these details,” Vedant added.

“Why does the police need those details? We were not doing anything wrong. We were protesting peacefully,” Lalita said.

Limkar added that she had already agreed to provide the police with her details, as the organiser of the protest. “I said I will take full responsibility and give my details. When they continued to insist, we said we would provide the details of seven to eight main coordinators. But the police did not agree, they wanted everyone’s details,” she said.

When asked about this, Girisha Nimbalkar, Senior Police Inspector at Deccan Police Station said, “We had denied them to hold protests at the spot after we found out that there were other events being held there. They still gathered for the protest. When they refused to leave, we asked them to come to the police station. When they did not agree, we had to bring them in forcibly. Now they refuse to give their names. Why would any Indian citizen do that? That creates suspicion.”

She also added that the police needed the names of all the protesters to carry out further processes.

As the negotiations continued, the protesters said that the police first agreed to take the details of only seven-eight people and then release everyone. However, they later took everyone, around 10-12 people who had not submitted their details, to a separate room, after stating that if they did not provide their details, they would be produced before a court.

“The police literally separated us and then pressured the protesters into giving their details. Most of them were not experienced protesters or activists, but common citizens who had come to express their solidarity to our cause. But the police raised their voices and intimidated them into giving their details,” Limkar said.

The protesters were released by the protesters were released by the police after they were given notices, after around five hours of detention. The notice said that protesters were booked under BNS sections 189(2), 190, pertaining to unlawful assembly, 191(1), pertaining to rioting, 126(2), pertaining to wrongful restraint, 223 penalising disobedience of lawful orders issued by public servants, along with Maharashtra Police Act Section 37(1)(3), 135 and 111.

What was the protest?

The protesters had gathered to oppose Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza and Modi’s upcoming visit to Israel.

“If we are a democracy, we should have the democratic right to protest, to voice our concerns. The Gaza Board of Peace created by the imperialist US and Israel is a complete sham. There is no ceasefire in Gaza either, people are still being killed. This is ‘Board of Terror’. Some justice-loving citizens in the city had gathered to protest against this as well as the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel. Is it a crime to talk about Palestine?” Lalita questioned.

She further said, “The Prime Minister goes to the Arab countries and expresses regret over the situation in Palestine. But on the other hand, the government is also making deals with Israel. India must clarify its stand on the situation in Palestine, this hypocrisy is unacceptable. We should also break all diplomatic, social, military ties with Israel," Lalita said.