Hyderabad: Members of civil society, social activists, and concerned citizens from Telangana have expressed deep anguish over recent police actions against student and youth activists who organised peaceful demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine.
In a joint representation addressed to Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Indian National Congress, and A. Revanth Reddy Garu, Chief Minister of Telangana, the signatories condemned the registration of criminal cases against peaceful demonstrators in Hyderabad and Adilabad on October 7.
At the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), students held a peaceful protest in support of Palestine which was disrupted by members of a right-wing student organisation. Shockingly, instead of acting against the aggressors, the Osmania University Police booked the pro-Palestine students under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In Adilabad district, police from Mavala Police Station detained 6 young social workers, including four minors, merely for raising slogans such as “Palestine Zindabad” and “Boycott Zudio.” They were booked under harsh penal sections and allegedly subjected to verbal abuse and mistreatment by police personnel.
The activists noted that in both cases, the complainants were police officials themselves, not university authorities or private entities raising serious concerns about bias, legality, and suppression of dissent.
The joint statement reminded that senior Congress leaders, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi have publicly expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine and condemned Israeli aggression. It termed the Telangana police actions under a Congress government “deeply disturbing and contradictory” to the party’s stated position on justice and human rights.
The signatories urged Rahul Gandhi to intervene and requested Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to:
- Instruct the withdrawal of FIRs against student and youth activists in Hyderabad and Adilabad, and
- Order an inquiry into the alleged verbal abuse and mistreatment by Mavala police personnel and initiate disciplinary action where warranted.
“Standing with Palestine against genocide and injustice is a moral responsibility of every citizen who believes in peace and democracy,” the statement said. “Suppressing such solidarity through police intimidation undermines India’s constitutional values.”
The appeal has been endorsed by S.Q. Masood, Dr. Jasveen Jairath, Sagar Dhara, Kiran Kumar Vissa, Khalida Parveen, Veena Shatrugna, Mohd Azharuddin (JIH Telangana), S. Deepti, Mohd Faraz Ahmed (SIO), and several other activists, writers, journalists, and educationists.
