The Maharashtra unit of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has condemned the lodging of a criminal case by the Mumbai police against 13 persons — all members of the minority community — in connection with a prayer gathering to commemorate children killed in Palestine on the occasion of Children’s Day.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the PUCL said a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged by the Juhu police under relevant Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Maharashtra Police Act (MPA) against 13 individuals, 11 of whom students, on November 14 for alleged violation of prohibitory orders.
As per the statement, all of them were picked up on November 14 after they responded to a call emanating from an Instagram account ‘solidaritymovement’ to observe Children’s Day in India with a quiet prayer recital of the names of children killed in the ongoing conflict in Palestine.