India cracks down on pro-Palestine expression as Gaza genocide intensifies

Dozens of Muslims arrested across India for waving Palestinian flags, calling for boycotts, or posting online — despite official support for two-state solution

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — As global outrage mounts over Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 50,000 Palestinians — including over 15,000 children — have been killed since October 7, 2023, expressions of solidarity with Palestine are being criminalized across India, with dozens of arrests and legal actions targeting Muslim citizens.

While governments, civil society groups, and activists around the world have rallied behind the Palestinian cause, Indian authorities have arrested or charged dozens of people for participating in peaceful protests, waving Palestinian flags, or posting pro-Palestine content on social media — most of them Muslims.

This comes despite India’s official foreign policy, which still recognizes Palestine, supports a two-state solution, and has delivered humanitarian aid to Gaza since the war began. 

However, on the ground, solidarity has become a punishable act.

In Naroli, a small town in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district, seven Muslim youths were arrested on April 20, 2025, for putting up posters that read “Free Gaza” and “Boycott Israeli products.” 

The arrests came after a local Bajrang Dal leader — aligned with Hindu nationalist groups — accused them of disturbing public order.

In Pali, also in Uttar Pradesh, similar posters triggered police investigations and threats of arrest. In Meerut, 50-year-old Azam (also known as Aamir Khan) was arrested simply for hoisting a Palestinian flag on the roof of his home.

During Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations across Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Jammu & Kashmir, dozens of young Muslims were booked for waving Palestinian flags after prayers. 

In Mumbra, Maharashtra, police filed cases against 35 people after a solidarity march was held near a mosque. The march was declared “illegal.”

In Delhi, authorities removed banners condemning Israeli attacks from a trade union conference, and a scheduled seminar on Palestine at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was cancelled under the pretext of procedural violations.

In the southern city of Tumkuru, Karnataka, three Muslim men were arrested for hoisting the Palestinian flag on India’s Independence Day. 

Two days later, another Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh was detained for the same act. In July 2024, multiple arrests were reported during Muharram processions where Palestinian flags were raised.

At the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata, four spectators were detained in November 2023 for waving Palestinian flags during a World Cup match between Pakistan and Bangladesh. In April 2025, Saqib Khan, a contract worker with the Electricity Department, was suspended after he posted a Palestinian flag on Facebook.

In September 2024, police in Madhya Pradesh filed an FIR against a Muslim man for displaying the flag during Eid Milad-un-Nabi.

Weaponizing law and ideology

Legal provisions used in these cases range from public mischief to sedition, with several cases invoking India’s harsh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) — which allows detention without trial. In one such case, two Muslim scholars in Uttar Pradesh were booked under UAPA for WhatsApp statuses supporting Palestine, while four students from Aligarh Muslim University were charged for similar social media posts.

At the same time, Hindu nationalist groups have held rallies openly supporting Israel — with no legal repercussions. On April 19, 2025, ABVP members at JNU burned the Palestinian flag and shouted pro-Israel slogans — but faced no police action.

According to an investigation published by Article 14 in September 2024, within the first year of Israel’s assault on Gaza, Indian authorities had already filed 17 First Information Reports (FIRs) across seven states — including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Karnataka, and Jammu & Kashmir. 

At least 51 people, mostly Muslims, were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the newly introduced Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita — a criminal law code that replaced the colonial-era IPC in 2024 —and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for organizing rallies or posting pro-Palestine content online. Of the 17 FIRs, nine were filed in BJP-ruled states or Union Territories, and eight in states ruled by Congress or its allies.

A contradiction in policy

These actions stand in stark contrast to India’s state foreign policy. In response to parliamentary questions in December 2024 and again in March 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs reaffirmed India’s support for a sovereign Palestinian state and expressed “deep concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.” The government also highlighted its financial aid to UNRWA and deliveries of over 70 tonnes of medical supplies.

Historically, India has maintained solidarity with Palestine — being the first non-Arab country to recognize the PLO in 1974, and the first to recognize the State of Palestine in 1988.

Yet, domestically, a shift is evident. Activists say this duality reflects India’s growing alignment with Israel under the Hindu nationalist BJP government, and a broader pattern of criminalizing Muslim identity, dissent, and solidarity.

Human rights groups warn that these arrests are part of a larger pattern of silencing dissent in India — particularly when it comes from Muslim voices. Peaceful calls to boycott, symbolic flags, and public expressions of grief have all become grounds for punishment.

As Israel faces war crimes charges at the International Court of Justice, and as millions around the world march for Gaza, Indian Muslims face legal consequences for doing the same.