Amid the ongoing war between the state of Israel and terror outfit Hamas, after the latter launched a cowardly attack on the innocent civilians of Israel and unleashed a reign of terror by butchering kids, raping and parading women and killing thousands in cold blood. The debate over the long-standing tussle between the Palestine-based terror outfit and Israel has reached India, where a certain section of leaders and a group of students were recently seen advocating for the cause of Palestine.
Meanwhile, coming down heavily on the selective silence of political groups and intellectuals along with protest marches in favour of Palestine by a group of students, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) termed the act as a vivid example of intellectual bankcorruptancy. In a press release issued on Wednesday, October 11, the student body said that it strongly condemned the showcase of the sectionist mania by a few political and institutional groups.
The release further read that “the views of different organisations must comply with the current foreign policy and stand of the ‘Republic of Bharat’. They should also refrain from cultist mania and being prejudiced in this grave hour of sheer violence and beware of singing their own tune.
Further, while quoting ‘Rashtriya Mahamantri’ of ABVP, Yaagvalakya Shukla, the release read that “the ABVP pays homage to the fallen citizens of Israel and hopes for normalisation of the situation affected by violence and terror as only the path of peace can take the world towards prosperity.
“Under the premises of a few educational institutions in Bharat there is an attempt going on to build and support a different narrative which is alike supporting the malignant ideology of Hamas, the ABVP strongly condemn the act of cultist mania in a few educational institutions and the same cannot be accepted by the society of Bharat,” read the press note in the end.
Protest march against Israel
It is to be noted that the ABVP’s press release has come after a group of students from Aligarh Muslim University have taken a protest march against Israel while raising slogans in support of Palestine. According to the reports, the protestors were also carrying placards which had slogans like AMU stands with Palestine, Free Palestine, this land is Palestine, not Israel.
Muslim students of Aligarh Muslim University took out a protest march in support of Hamas Attack on #Israel
The pro-Palestine students were chanting Allah-u-Akbar slogans#IsraelPalestineWar pic.twitter.com/0coNkGEgyp
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) October 9, 2023
The students in the protest march were also heard raising religious slogans such as ‘Tera Mera Rishta Kya La Ilaha IL Allah’ while asserting that Israel was committing atrocities against Palestine and voiced their opposition to oppression worldwide.
Israel-Hamas conflict
It is to be noted that on October 7, the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza Strip by land, sea, and air killing over 700 people and wounding more than 2000. During the attack Hamas fired approximately 5,000 rockets, marking one of the most significant assaults on Israel in recent years.
Soon after the attack the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a tweet said that “On October 7 when the country was asleep, the terrorists entered from land, air, and water, killing hundreds of innocent people. They held them hostages, killed them, paraded them naked, and desecrated them. Hamas will have to face unprecedented consequences.”
The same day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended support to the deceased families and said, “India stands in solidarity with Israel in this terrorist attack”.
Notably, the fierce confrontation between the Israeli military and the Palestinian extremist group Hamas has, thus far, resulted in over 2200 casualties and injuries to another 6000. Israel has announced ‘Operation Iron Swords’ against Hamas following the declaration of a ‘state of war’. A fierce battle is currently underway in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
