Several student activists were detained by the Delhi Police on Tuesday afternoon while they were marching towards the Israeli Embassy to protest the ongoing crisis in Gaza and the recent detentions linked to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC). Among those detained were Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union President Nitish Kumar and All India Students’ Association’s Secretary at Jamia Millia Islamia, Saurabh. The group was protesting what it called the “inhuman siege of Gaza” and the “illegal arrest of activists on board the Freedom Flotilla,” a pro-Palestinian humanitarian mission aimed at breaking the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. In a statement released after the protest, AISA alleged that the police “violently detained” students and activists from Delhi, terming the action “brutal”. “AISA condemns the brutal detention of students and demands boycott and divestment from Israel and an end to the joint ventures, weapons deals, and business exchange,” the statement read. According to a senior Delhi Police officer, around 30 individuals were detained for protesting without prior permission. “They were taken to Bawana police station and will be released after some time,” the officer said. Visuals from the protest site showed students holding placards and chanting slogans demanding an end to India’s diplomatic and economic ties with Israel. While AISA called the detentions an attempt to “muzzle democratic dissent,” Delhi Police officials maintained that the preventive measure was taken in accordance with security protocol near embassies. The student organisation has called for a fresh protest on Wednesday at 3 pm at Jantar Mantar. On Monday evening, Israeli naval forces intercepted and seized a charity vessel, Madleen, which was trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The yacht had 12 people on board, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent. The protest in the national capital follows a string of similar demonstrations by student groups in India over the past few months as international attention intensifies on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
