A legal notice in Govandi ward has angered civil rights groups, who say police action reflects bias and curbs democratic expression
MUMBAI — A legal notice has been served on the Indian Revolutionary Workers Party (RWPI) candidate after a Palestinian flag was seen on a campaign worker’s bag during a municipal election rally, prompting strong criticism from rights activists and Palestine solidarity groups.
The notice was served on Pradhaniya Prabholkar, RWPI candidate from Ward No. 140 in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections. He said the action followed a rally held at Bhujbalwadi in Govandi on January 3.
According to Prabholkar, a woman accompanying him during the rally was carrying her regular shoulder bag, which had an image of the Palestinian flag embossed on it. He said there were no slogans, banners or speeches related to Palestine during the campaign event.
“During the rally, police officers took photographs and told us it was for routine records,” Prabholkar said. “After the programme ended, I was called to the police station and served a notice.”
He said Senior Police Inspector Ramesh Pandurang Yadav of Deonar Police Station issued the notice under Section 168 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita. The police reportedly claimed that the image of the Palestinian flag could disturb public peace and warned of action if it was repeated.
“The police said the flag could spread unrest in the area,” Prabholkar said. “They told us not to allow anything like this again.”
The incident has drawn condemnation from activists, many of whom say the action shows selective policing and a pattern where Muslim causes are treated as law-and-order threats.
Dr Pooja Varshali, associated with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine, questioned the police reasoning. “How can solidarity with Palestine be called a danger to public order?” she asked. “This notice is a direct attack on democratic rights.”
Firoz Methi Borwala of the India Palestine Solidarity Forum said the action exposed double standards. “It shows how political expression is allowed for some and restricted for others,” he said. “It also exposes the weakness of our foreign policy and moral stand.”
Dr Kashif, an activist with Friends of Palestine, Mumbai, called the incident “deeply condemnable” and said it violated constitutional freedoms. “Freedom of expression is protected by the Constitution,” he said. “Targeting a symbol linked with Muslim suffering shows clear bias in the policing system.”
Prabholkar said the police had no authority to object to political views raised during an election campaign. He stressed that support for Palestine was not a religious issue. “This is about national freedom and justice,” he said. “We will continue to support it.”
Repeated attempts to contact Senior Police Inspector Ramesh Yadav for comment were unsuccessful. Mumbai Police also did not respond to questions on the legal grounds for declaring the image of the Palestinian flag on a personal bag unlawful.
Rights groups say the silence from the police only adds to concerns that expressions linked to Muslim identity or global Muslim causes are being singled out, while similar political displays by Hindu groups often pass without objection.
