Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday directed officials in his state to take stern action against those trying to spread hatred and whip frenzy over the issue of Palestine amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in West Asia. In a law and order review meeting, presided over by him at his Lucknow residence, the chief minister said that “any activity contrary to the views of Government of India would not be accepted on this issue”, an official said. “The chief minister ordered that be it on social media or any religious place, no controversial statement should be issued by anyone, and if someone makes a malicious attempt to do so, then strict action should be taken against them immediately,” the government spokesperson said. Adityanath also directed police and administrative chiefs of every district to interact with local religious leaders and communicate this to them. The CM's directions come days after four students of Aligarh Muslim University in the state were booked for allegedly taking out a march in support of Palestine on the campus. Political leaders had complained to the police objecting to the pro-Palestine march on the campus. The AMU also said that it has ordered an internal inquiry into the matter. Since last Saturday, the targeted attacks against Israeli civilians by Hamas have claimed 1,300 lives on the Israeli side, while the death toll in Gaza because of Israeli air strikes has risen to more than 1,350. After the Hamas attack on Israel last Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a statement on X expressing his deep shock at the “terrorist attacks” and said that “we stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour”. On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in its first official statement on the Israel-Hamas war, said that there is a “universal obligation to observe international humanitarian law,” and there is also a global responsibility to fight the menace of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. New Delhi also reiterated its traditional position on the Israel-Palestine conflict, saying India has advocated the resumption of “direct negotiations” towards establishing a “sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine living within secure and recognized borders, side by side at peace with Israel”.
