India cracks down on pro-Palestine voices as students protest Gaza genocide
Student activists detained in Delhi for marching to Israeli embassy, as Modi government aligns with Israel and criminalizes solidarity
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — India’s crackdown on pro-Palestine voices intensified on Tuesday as dozens of student activists were detained in New Delhi for protesting Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza and the seizure of an international aid ship headed for the besieged Palestinian territory.
The protesters—mostly students from leading universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, and Delhi University—were marching toward the Israeli Embassy when Delhi Police intervened and detained around 30 individuals.
They were demanding an end to India’s growing diplomatic and military ties with Israel and condemning what they called the “inhuman siege of Gaza.”
“Free, free Palestine,” chanted students holding placards that read “End the siege of Gaza” and “Release all activists from the Freedom Flotilla.”
Among those detained were JNU Students’ Union President Nitish Kumar, Jamia’s All India Students’ Association (AISA) Secretary Saurabh, SFI Delhi President Sooraj Elamon, Joint Secretary Mehina Fatima, Fraternity Movement National General Secretary Mohammed Alfauz Azmi, and others from the Democratic Students Federation (DSF) and other left-leaning youth organizations. They were later released from Bawana Police Station.
The student protest was triggered by Israel’s seizure of the Madleen, a British-flagged aid ship operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which was intercepted in international waters while delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The crew—comprising volunteers from France, Sweden, Brazil, Turkiye, Germany, and other countries—was forcibly taken into Israeli custody. While four have since been deported, several remain detained.
Student groups in Delhi expressed outrage at the Modi government’s silence on the Madleen incident and condemned the police crackdown. AISA called the detentions “brutal” and demanded a complete boycott and divestment from Israel, denouncing ongoing weapons deals and joint ventures with what they described as the “genocidal state of Israel.”
SFI Delhi issued a statement calling the police action “a grave blot to democracy,” adding, “Numerous students and activists have been detained only for seeking the release of volunteers delivering life-saving aid in accordance with international law.”
DSF echoed the sentiment, stating, “The crisis in Gaza is not merely a regional conflict but a test of global conscience and India’s commitment to its anti-colonial heritage.”
For decades, India stood firmly with the Palestinian cause—championing anti-colonial solidarity in international forums and recognizing Palestine’s right to self-determination. But under the Hindu nationalist government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has grown visibly closer to Israel—militarily, diplomatically, and ideologically.
Analysts say this alignment has come at the cost of suppressing domestic dissent. Expressions of solidarity with Palestine—once a hallmark of Indian student activism and foreign policy—are increasingly being met with arrests, surveillance, and public vilification.
As Israel’s bombardment of Gaza continues and global outrage grows over the seizure of aid ships like the Madleen, India’s response—cracking down on peaceful protest—reveals not just complicity, but a deeper transformation: from solidarity with the oppressed to silence and partnership with the oppressor.
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