PUCL condemns cops for detaining people gathered for pro-Palestine protest
The People's Union of Civil Liberties condemned the Mumbai police for detaining individuals who gathered for a peaceful prayer for Palestinian children. 17 individuals, all Muslims, were questioned and forcefully detained, while 13 were later released and 4 minors were handed over to their parents.
Mumbai:
The People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) on Sunday released a statement condemning the Mumbai police’s action of detaining people gathered in a peaceful prayer for Palestinian children on Children’s Day.
At 9am, people had gathered as a part of the multi-city ‘Solidarity Movement’ at Juhu Beach. As per the rules, no placards were allowed and people were only to gather, dressed in black, in groups of less than four. The gathered crowd would recite the names of the innocent children killed. This was replicated in eleven other cities in the country. As per the PUCL statement, 17 of the individuals—all Muslims— had gone to the police cabin on the beach after the gathering ended at 10:30am to collect the posters.
Four of them were minors, eleven students, and one was a social activist, Feroze Mithiborwala. They were then questioned and forcefully put in a police van, and taken to the Juhu Police station. They weren’t allowed to contact their parents or lawyers.
Thirteen of the detainees, except the minors, were allowed to leave by 7pm and asked to return the next day at 11am. They were charged under Section 37(1), 37 (3), and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act as they did not have police permit for the public assembly. Raghunath Kadam, acting senior police inspector, Juhu police station said, “13 adults were arrested and later released, on bail and 4 minors were handed over to their parents on the same day at 4pm,” said Kadam.
