Citizens’ group writes letter to Siddaramaiah, questions govt for suppressing pro-Palestine protests
Bengaluru: In a strongly-worded letter addressed to the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, members of ‘Bengaluru for Justice and Peace’ expressed their disappointment regarding the government's response to protest's in Bengaluru condemning the ongoing crisis in Palestine.
The group accused the authorities of suppressing peaceful demonstrations and even filing FIRs against protestors. Despite the escalation of violence by the Israeli government, which has led to a grave humanitarian crisis in Palestine, the state government has denied permissions for protests, citing concerns over law and order.
The letter, sent by the concerned citizens' group, highlighted the alarming situation in Palestine, where civilians, including children, have been targeted and killed in the conflict. Hospitals, schools, and religious institutions have been bombed, resulting in widespread destruction. According to data from various sources, 5,791 Palestinians, including 2,360 children, have lost their lives due to the violence. The group emphasized that it is the collective responsibility of citizens to stand against such atrocities and demand justice for Palestine.
“You are aware that the bombing of civilians and systematic violations of human rights continue to be accelerated by the Israeli government, and there is a grave humanitarian crisis in Palestine. Concerned citizens across the world are marching in solidarity against the violence, demanding a ceasefire and justice for Palestinian people,” the letter added.
Despite the citizens' peaceful attempts to raise their voices, the Karnataka state government has consistently denied permissions for protests. The recent denial of permission for a protest scheduled at Freedom Park on October 28, 2023, citing it as an international issue with threats to law and order, has drawn significant criticism. The citizens' group argued that the freedom to protest extends to international issues as well and that their peaceful demonstration in Freedom Park posed no threat to law and order.
“Now, when a genocide taking place in Palestine, it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to stand up against this and demand justice for Palestine. Instead, the state Government is claiming down on protests and not rejecting permission. Last week, the police denied permission to left parties wanting to hold a protest on this issue. You would recall that we also met with you on October 20, 2023 at your residence and apprised you of these denials of permission. Despite that, the police continue to restrict our constitutional right to assemble,” the letter further added.
“The latest such rejection has taken place by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Division) who has rejected permission for a protest to be held in Freedom Park on 28th October, 2023 on the ground that this is an international issue and there is a threat to law and order.This freedom is not restricted only to national issues, but to every issue, and international issues are no exception. Additionally, there is no reason to believe that our peaceful protest in Freedom Park will threaten law and order,” it added.
Furthermore, the group condemned the state government for registering FIRs against protestors supporting the Palestinian cause. Peaceful demonstrators have been detained and faced criminal charges, undermining their fundamental right to assemble and express their opinions. The citizens' group also criticized the authorities for their indifference to the ongoing genocide in Palestine, calling it an abuse of power.
“Such actions of the Karnataka State government is not only an assault on the fundamental rights of citizens to protest, but also display a cruel indifference to the genocide being carried out by the Israeli government, and is an immoral abuse of power by these offices,” the letter stated.
The letter highlighted India's historical support for the Palestinian people, emphasizing the consistent stand taken by leaders from Mahatma Gandhi to Narendra Modi in favor of Palestinian rights. Even the Congress Working Committee and the Ministry of External Affairs have expressed support for the establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.
In conclusion, the citizens' group urged the Karnataka state government to respect the fundamental rights of protestors and reconsider their stance on granting permissions for peaceful demonstrations. They called for a fair and unbiased investigation into the actions of the police and demanded justice for those who have faced undue legal consequences for expressing solidarity with Palestine.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
