Bengaluru has witnessed a wave of activism in solidarity with Palestine, as citizens seek to raise their voices against the ongoing conflict in the region. However, their efforts have been met with resistance from the local police force. A Karnataka High Court judgment in January 2022 currently allows protests only at Freedom park in Bengaluru. However, as far as pro-Palestine protests go, the police have been swiftly denying permissions for demonstrations and registering First Information Reports against peaceful protestors.
The Bengaluru police have rejected as many as three petitions seeking permission to protest at Freedom Park in solidarity with Palestine- and have given different excuses for the rejection. Two applications by Left parties — the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Socialist Unity Centre of India were rejected citing “limited space”.
The latest and the third instance is the denial of permission by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) to a coalition of civil society groups on the ground that protesting in solidarity with Palestinians was an “international issue”. The letter from DCP S Girish said, “Since you have requested permission to hold a protest in relation to international issues in the petition letter, the permission has been denied for the protest on 28-10-2023 in the interest of maintaining law and order.”
The police have also detained and registered FIRs against protestors for expressing solidarity with Palestine. In Bengaluru, two FIRs were lodged following a gathering of activists and civil society members at the MG Road Metro Station on October 16, where they called for India to condemn Israel's attack on Palestine. As many as 30 activists were picked up by the police and detained in Ashok Nagar and Cubbon Park police stations.
A 58-year-old man in Mangaluru was arrested for a video in which he appealed for prayers for Hamas. In Hosapete, a 20-year-old youth was detained for sharing a pro-Palestine status on WhatsApp.
In response to the police clampdown, Bengaluru for Justice and Peace, a coalition of civil society groups has written a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, demanding the right to protest and assemble peacefully. The letter highlighted the paradox of police registering FIRs against peaceful protesters for holding protests outside Freedom Park, while simultaneously denying permissions to protest within the park itself. “Such actions of the Karnataka state government is not only an assault on the fundamental rights of citizens to protest, but also display a cruel indifference to the genocide being carried out by the Israeli government, and is an immoral abuse of power by these offices,” the letter said.
Activists questioned the Karnataka government's stance, highlighting that other states have permitted large rallies and protests in solidarity with Palestine, while Karnataka has chosen to stifle such expressions of support. Recently, a mega rally was held by the Indian Union Muslim League in Kerala and several thousands participated. The letter said, “We, members of Bengaluru for Justice and Peace, strongly believe that the reasons furnished by the police in their letter rejecting permission for our protest are insufficient and unsubstantiated, to say the least. We are shocked at the deliberate attempt to silence our voices in support of Palestine, when the Congress Party as well the Union government have issued statements in support of the Palestinian people.”
Activists also highlighted the statements issued by political parties at both the state and national level, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people. They argue that the actions of the Karnataka government and police stand in stark contrast to these statements, creating a dissonance in the approach towards the Israel-Palestine conflict. “Why is the Karnataka government deliberately silencing voices of solidarity with the Palestinian people? Why is the Karnataka police filing FIRs against those seeking an end to Israeli occupation?” the activists questioned.
Since October 7, Israel and Hamas, a Palestine-based militant group, have been engaged in a war that has taken several thousand lives. The crisis is being described as the most severe security situation in the region in the last five decades.
Read: Protesters from Left parties detained for pro-Palestine demonstration in Bengaluru.