Delhi Police launches an illegal witchhunt against Progressive Artists' League for organizing a movie screening in solidarity with Palestine! -

Delhi Police illegally threatens, intimidates and questions members of PAL, and gets them evicted from their rented place of residence!

New Delhi: Progressive Artists League in collaboration with BDS India organized a movie screening followed by a discussion at its Studio, the Studio Montage, a rented space. As soon as the program was announced, Delhi Police, without any prior intimation, notice or specifying the reason, started a concerted compaign of intimidation and harassment against the members of the Progressive Artists’ League. Vinod, from Progressive Artists’ League said “Delhi Police started with repeated calls to the members of PAL and subsequently, on the 18th started barging into the Studio to illegally intimidate, harass and question us, including women members of the Progressive Artists League, from the morning of the 18th. Policemen and an individual from the Special Branch of the Delhi Police entered our personal spaces, took our personal details, asked us to produce our documents and rent agreement, took pictures of our personal spaces without our permission, and asked our landowner to evict us from the rented space, which the landowner did. The police barged into our Studio on the 18th, not once or twice but three times. Delhi Police personnel misbehaved with us and threatened us, accusing us of being associated with the Taliban and making all sorts of insinuations. on absolutely no basis.”

The Police did not stop here, and once more it came to the Studio today, on 20th May and once again asked the individuals of PAL to provide them with their personal details. What is more, this time they had brought a printed copy of PAL’s statement that it had released against their intimidation on the 18th. Once more the police refused to provide any reason and justification for their questioning and continued to intimidate them into providing the Police with details, and kept questioning them repeatedly. This is a blatant attack on democratic rights, is completely illegal and amounts to a deliberate slander and witchhunt against the members of the Progressive Artists’ League. It is also part and parcel of the larger attack on the democratic rights and every voice of dissent in our country under the reign of fascist movement. Priyambada from BDS, India said, “It is also part of the larger attempts at curbing all events, programs and campaigns in solidarity with Palestine across India. Only recently, activists from the BDS India campaign in Pune were beaten up by a mob led by RSS and BJP leaders, and were subsequently booked and arrested by the Police. A campaign was also launched against them in social media full of lies and slander”

Indeed all the things that are happening with PAL are also due to the fact that they were about to screen the movie “Occupation 101 followed by a discussion. Vinod from PAL said, “We would like to underline the fact that this film is not banned in India and the Indian government recognises the Palestinian nation in the UN and supports the creation of a sovereign, independent nation of Palestine. The screening of the movie in no way was contrary to the position maintained by the Indian government. So on what basis has the Police been harassing, intimidating and questioning us? On what basis has it barged into our place of residence? It is clear that Delhi Police is taking illegal measures to harass, intimidate and threaten us

For the past three days, we have faced mental harassment, intimidation and violation of privacy by Delhi Police, and have been evicted from our rented place, simply because we organised a movie screening and discussion in solidarity with the struggling people of Palestine who are being massacred at this very moment.”

We appeal to all media persons and organizations to publish this statement and expose this blatantly illegal attack on democratic rights, and the campaign of harassment and intimidation against the Progressive Artists League without any reason whatsoever.