Gaza protest: Civil society team demands FIRs against activists be withdrawn

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: A civil society delegation met the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru East, on Thursday demanding an inquiry into the violence against citizens who had gathered to conduct an awareness drive on Palestine.

The incident had taken place on Sunday when a citizens group, including students, was trying to undertake an awareness campaign titled 'Bengaluru with Gaza' around 4:30 pm in Frazer Town.

"Before they could even gather and start the information dissemination, police arrived there and started violently dragging the citizens away, with no explanation. The citizens were dragged into vans and some of them were beaten up by police officials in plain clothes in the van. There were no women police personnel present," the activists alleged.

Later two FIRs were registered at Pulakeshinagar Police Station against the citizens. The delegation on Thursday demanded that the FIRs be withdrawn.

The activist group, speaking to News Trail, said that the DCP has assured an inquiry into the violence.

The civil society delegation included representatives from Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, All India Students Association, Collective - Bengaluru, Students for People's Democracy, National Law School of India University Students Union, All India Lawyers Association for Justice and advocates and activists.