Pro-Israel rallies allowed in India but Palestine solidarity sees crackdown

Israel's continuous airstrikes of the besieged Gaza Strip and killing of nearly 6,000 people – a third of them children – over a span of two weeks has outraged people across the world, triggering large-scale protests and a call for an immediate ceasefire.

However, in India – the first non-Arab country to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), but now seen closer to Israel and its biggest benefactor, the United States – some pro-Palestine protesters were reported being targeted by the government, reports Al Jazeera.

Less than a week after the Gaza assault began, police in Hamirpur district of India's most populous Uttar Pradesh state were looking for Muslim scholars Atif Chaudhary and Suhail Ansari. Their alleged crime was putting a WhatsApp display photo that said "I stand with Palestine".

The two men were charged with promoting enmity between social groups. Ansari is under arrest, while Chaudhary is on the run, according to the police.

In the same state, governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), four students of the Aligarh Muslim University were booked by the police after they took out a pro-Palestine march on the campus a day after the Gaza assault began on 7 October.

However, when the Hindu far-right group Bajrang Dal took out a pro-Israel march in the same Aligarh city, no action was taken against them by the authorities.

In the national capital, New Delhi, there have been several examples of people being detained during rallies organised by student groups, activists and citizens for solidarity with the Palestinians since 7 October.

In the western state of Maharashtra, also governed by the BJP in alliance with a regional party, two protesters, Ruchir Lad and Supreeth Ravish, were arrested on October 13 for holding a march against the war on Gaza and charged with unlawful assembly.

However, the crackdown was not limited to the BJP-ruled states only. 

In the southern Karnataka state, governed by the main opposition Congress party, police charged 10 activists with creating a public nuisance after they organised a silent march in support of the Palestinians on 16 October in Bengaluru, the capital of the state.

The Karnataka police also arrested a 58-year-old Muslim man for allegedly posting a video in support of Hamas on WhatsApp. Police also briefly detained Alam Nawaz, a Muslim government employee, for updating his WhatsApp status with a Palestinian flag and "Long Live Palestine" message.