India detains pro-Palestine protesters, frees them after midnight protest
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — In the latest example of India’s growing repression of Palestine solidarity, Delhi Police on Monday detained more than 30 protesters who had gathered peacefully outside the Israeli Embassy to denounce Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The protest, organized by Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine (IPSP), drew students and activists from groups including the Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India (RWPI), Disha Students’ Organization, and Naujawan Bharat Sabha (NBS). Demonstrators raised slogans condemning Israel’s war crimes and India’s deepening ties with Tel Aviv under the Modi government.
Around 4 p.m., Delhi Police detained at least 30 participants and held them at Mandir Marg and Tughlakabad Extension police stations. According to those detained, they were kept for over eight hours without formal charges, and police personnel reportedly threatened them with criminal cases if they continued their activism.
As hours passed without release, a spontaneous protest broke out around midnight outside the Mandir Marg Police Station. Supporters gathered outside, chanting for their release, while some detainees inside the station reportedly raised slogans.
The midnight standoff lasted until early Tuesday, when authorities finally released all detained activists without charges — a move widely seen as a response to public pressure.
Meanwhile, rights groups raised alarm over reports of police violence. A female protester named Srishti was hospitalized following her detention, with fellow activists stating she had difficulty breathing, was placed on an oxygen mask, and showed signs of leg injuries that required X-rays.
Civil society organizations say the incident is part of a broader pattern of state repression under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, which has repeatedly sought to silence dissenting voices critical of India’s alliance with Israel.
In recent months, peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstrations, academic events, and student actions have faced surveillance, intimidation, and arrests.
Analysts warn that India’s growing diplomatic and military alignment with Israel is being paralleled by domestic crackdowns on Palestine solidarity — with activists, students, and Muslim communities often bearing the brunt.
The events in Delhi mark yet another instance where peaceful protest was met with force, as the Indian state continues to criminalize expressions of international solidarity that challenge its foreign policy or Hindutva-driven nationalism.
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