3 min readNew DelhiJul 2, 2024 03:43 PM IST
First published on: Jun 2, 2024 at 07:39 AM IST
“I hope I don’t get detained as I still need to prepare for my exams… but anyone who understands the meaning of education should come here.”
These words by Lipi Singh, a Physics student at Miranda House, conveyed the general sentiment at a protest organised by a group of mostly students to express their anger against Israel’s offensive on Palestine, in Jantar Mantar on Saturday.
Like Lipi, Sumdisha Khanna, an activist of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), was also worried about police crackdown. In fact, she said, she was convinced that she was going to be detained. “The question of arbitrary arrests and FIRs hangs on the head like a sword…(Protesting) can impact our admissions and future in academia significantly,” she said.
While police officials said the protesters were granted permission before the stir was to begin at 10.30 am, the organisers claimed otherwise.
“We had applied for police permission (before Saturday) in the designated area but were denied it…and yet we decided that this is an issue for which we cannot wait for police permission. So, we continued,” said an organiser who requested anonymity.
The organiser said that when she arrived at the site at 10.45 am, “They (police) did not allow me to even peep in from one side.” She further said, “By the time I walked up to Parliament Street and entered from the other side, people had managed to come in.”
Shreya, a student from the Department of Linguistics at Delhi University and a member of the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation, told The Indian Express: “If anyone knows human values, they have to be here…that is why despite a busy schedule, we have come here.”
Police, for their part, said they have no complaints with the protesters who stuck to their “allotted” stretch of road.
Said an officer, “We have no complaints, they (the protesters) have been good… They have been given permission and they have followed the rules so far.”
Pamela Philipose, a senior journalist, said the Delhi Police did not want to cooperate initially. “But seeing the numbers, the determination of people to go ahead, they relented,” she added.
The three-hour march was the first after Delhi’s last protest against Israel in October 2023, when the police detained and arrested over 50 people for allegedly not seeking prior permission for the stir.
Under the banner of the Palestine Solidarity Committee, people bearing placards of many organisations had come together with songs, slogans, and posters that called for a “ceasefire” and “an end to settler-colonialism and imperialism”, among other messages that the groups unitedly endorsed.
Many donned accessories and clothing in red, white and green – the colours of the Palestinian flag. As others held up actual flags, the footpath saw a makeshift stall for bookmarks and posters, the proceeds for which “would go to Gaza,” according to a poster.
“Palestine Solidarity Committee is an umbrella group…see, another is coming,” said Philipose, pointing to members of Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) marching in. The sub-groups included Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), SFI, JNU Students’ Union, and KYS, among others.
Police kept their distance until it was time to ask the protesters to disperse — at 1.30 pm sharp.
People hold placards during a protest organised by Palestine Solidarity Committee at Jantar Mantar amid the ongoing war in Gaza (Image Credit: PTI) 
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