Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) in Uttar Pradesh organized demonstrations to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people.
A video of AMU students chanting slogans in support of Palestine went viral on various social media platforms. The students were heard shouting slogans such as “Free Palestine,” demonstrating their support for the Palestinian cause.
In Jamia Millia Islamia, students gathered to demonstrate their support for Palestine. The protests led to the closure of campus canteens as a precautionary measure.
A student on the scene said, “We were not allowed to leave the campus; there was a heavy presence of police outside the campus.”
The National Students’ Union of India unit at Jamia initially expressed its support for Palestine, categorizing Israel’s presence in the region as “terrorism.” However, they later deleted the post. The deleted post had said, “Israel’s seven-decade-long occupation in Palestine is terrorism. Palestine deserves freedom from Israeli’s Zionist terrorism, and collective efforts must be made to ensure a just and peaceful resolution to this long-standing conflict.”
The student group Dayar-I-Shauq Students’ Charter issued a statement of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Their statement said, “We stand in Solidarity with Palestinian people and the Palestinian freedom fighters in their struggle against the settler colonial state of Israel.”
A number of students on university campuses have shared videos featuring Atal Bihari Vajpayee expressing his solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered against four students from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for organizing a solidarity march in support of Palestine. The FIR, was filed under sections 153A, 188, and 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
“Some students organized a procession within the AMU campus in connection with an international development. During the procession, proactive slogans were raised. An FIR has been filed concerning these events,” stated a police spokesperson.
In the bloodiest escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict in decades, Hamas unleashed a massive rocket barrage, resulting in over 700 casualties in Israel and over 400 in Gaza. The conflict has also led to the displacement of over 100,000 people in Gaza, while Hamas claims to be holding more than a hundred Israelis hostage.
Palestinian groups breached Israel’s borders with thousands of rockets, and their members infiltrated Israeli border towns, resulting in casualties. In response, Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah joined the fray, firing artillery shells and missiles at Israeli positions in “solidarity” with Hamas.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed determination to retaliate, stating, “The IDF (army) is about to use all its force to destroy Hamas’s capabilities. We’ll strike them to the bitter end and avenge with force this black day they brought on Israel and its people.”
The recent violence erupted after Hamas called for an end to the occupation, citing ongoing Israeli actions, particularly at the holy site of Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
