17 cases filed against pro-Palestine protesters across 7 states in India: Report

At least 17 cases have been filed against 51 people in India for supporting Palestine through protests or social media posts, according to a report published Monday, Anadolu Agency reports.

The report by Article 14, an Indian non-governmental organisation, investigated 17 First Information Reports (FIRs) filed in several Indian states since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Palestine on 7 October last year.

​​​​​​​The cases span Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

They found that charges range from organising rallies to displaying Palestinian flags and posting pro-Palestine content on social media. Most cases fall under the new Indian Penal Code, while one invokes the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, according to the report.

Notable cases include a 20-year-old shopkeeper charged for waving a Palestinian flag during a religious procession and students facing legal action for participating in a campus solidarity march.

Nine of the FIRs were registered in states governed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or its allies, with the remaining eight in opposition-controlled areas, the organisation reported.

In September, India’s Supreme Court dismissed a public interest litigation that had sought an order for the federal government to halt licenses to Indian firms exporting arms to Israel.

Earlier, a group of eminent citizens in India had written to the country’s Defence Minister, calling on him to halt the licensing process that enables exporters to send arms and ammunition to Israel.

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