2 hrs ago
Mumbai Activists Allege Police Detention Over Pro-Palestine Event
Activists in Mumbai said police stopped them while they were preparing a pro-Palestine event.
One woman said officers searched her home and kept people there for hours.
She also said the officers were in plain clothes and did not show identification.
The police said they were only investigating a video about people making Palestinian flags.
Police also said no permission had been obtained for a protest.
Organisers separately said police pressure caused a private documentary screening to be cancelled.
The police account and the activists’ account are different.
Another private screening of the documentary later took place in Kurla.
Members of the Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine alleged harassment and several hours of detention by Mumbai Police.
Harshada said plainclothes officers searched her Vakola home, seized phones temporarily and prevented a minor from leaving.
Police said they were investigating a video showing people making Palestinian flags and denied taking action against anyone.
An officer said officials found left-leaning books and donation-related QR codes while checking the house.
Organisers alleged police pressure led to cancellation of a private Umar Khalid documentary screening, though another screening occurred in Kurla.
- Who
- Citizens and activists from the Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine, Harshada, organisers of a documentary screening, and Mumbai Police.
- What
- Activists alleged harassment, house detention and a search, while police said they were conducting an enquiry; screening organisers alleged police pressure caused an event to be cancelled.
- Where
- Harshada’s residence in Vakola, Mumbai, and an unspecified screening venue; another screening took place in Kurla.
- When
- The alleged house incident occurred on Tuesday, September 15; the other screening in Kurla took place on Monday.
- Why
- Activists said they were targeted over a planned pro-Palestine event. Police said they were tracing the source of Palestinian flags and investigating the matter, adding that no protest permission had been obtained.
Activists and Organisers’ Account
Mumbai Police’s Account
House search and detention
Activists and Organisers’ Account
Harshada alleged that plainclothes officers searched her Vakola residence without showing identification, seized phones, verbally abused those present and effectively detained them overnight.
Mumbai Police’s Account
Police said officers went to the house to trace the source of Palestinian flags seen in a video and denied taking action, describing the matter as an ongoing enquiry.
Planned pro-Palestine event
Activists and Organisers’ Account
IPSP members were preparing a pro-Palestine event and said they were harassed over the planned activity.
Mumbai Police’s Account
A senior officer said the matter was protest-related and that no permission had been obtained from local police.
Documentary screening cancellation
Activists and Organisers’ Account
The organisers alleged that people in civilian clothes intimidated the venue manager, who also received a call from a senior police officer, leading to cancellation.
Mumbai Police’s Account
The article reports the organisers’ allegation but does not provide a separate police response to the screening cancellation claim.
Key facts
- Group involved
- Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine (IPSP)
- Reported location
- Vakola, Mumbai
- Police account
- Officers said they were investigating a video involving people making Palestinian flags.
- Activists’ allegation
- Plainclothes officers searched a residence, seized phones temporarily and kept people there overnight.
- Police response
- A senior officer denied that police took action and said an enquiry was ongoing.
- Cancelled event
- Organisers said a private screening of a documentary on Umar Khalid was cancelled after alleged police pressure.
- Alternative screening
- Another private screening of the film took place in Kurla on Monday.
Quotes
A senior Mumbai Police officer
A senior police official who described the inquiry into the Palestinian flags.
“They came to my place in civil dress and failed to produce their identity cards and started searching my library. They seized my friends’ phones for nearly an hour. A minor boy who was present at the premises was not allowed to leave.”
indianexpress.com
“Usually this is a protest-related issue, and hence we tried to find the source and went to the house where the flags were kept. No permission from local police was taken for any protest.”
indianexpress.com
The two screening organisers
Organisers of the private documentary screening about Umar Khalid.
“At approximately 7 pm, people in civilian clothes arrived at the venue and began questioning and intimidating the venue manager. They pressured him to cancel the screening.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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