Citizens’ group alleges Bengaluru police disrupting all events in solidarity with Palestine

Several prominent citizens, academicians and activists in the city 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 for the past year in the city. 

Several prominent citizens, academicians 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 for the past year in the city. 

A total of 194 citizens, including Arvind Narrain, President, PUCL - Karnataka, senior academic A.R. Vasavi, Aakar Patel, former head of Amnesty International, activist Vidya Dinker, have signed the open letter written by Citizens for Justice and Peace, Bengaluru. 

The letter lists 12 instances since October 2023 when the city police have disrupted, created hurdles for events, even those that were planned to be held indoors, in solidarity with Palestine. The letter alleges that the latest such incident happened on Thursday, October 24 when Collective Bangalore, a students’ organisation 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 in multiple instances, the police have called up indoor venues, threatened them and forced them to cancel events, have banned and criminalised the display of the Palestinian flag with no legal provisions, taking criminal action against peaceful protesters, pamphleteering activists and artists — four FIRs have been filed against protesters demonstrating in solidarity with Palestine for the past year. The letter also alleges that there has been an increased surveillance and harassment of activists and human rights defenders speaking up for Palestine, threatening them with criminal action. 

The open letter said that this was being done in a State ruled by the Congress, whose MP Shashi Tharoor, also the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External 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 declared in the Lok Sabha that India stands with Palestine and for a two-state solution. 

However, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda told The Hindu that there were no instructions not to allow events in solidarity with Palestine. “Last year, when the issue was hot and sensitive, we had denied permissions to some protests. But that has not been the policy. We have recently also allowed protests in solidarity with Palestine at Freedom Park. But a group of citizens have brought to my notice that the local police were disrupting even indoor events in solidarity with Palestine. This will be inquired into,” he said.