The Coimbatore City Police on Thursday, October 26, 2023 clarified that a case registered against three persons in connection with the pro-Palestine agitation organised by Muslim organisations in the city on October 24, Tuesday, was not for placing a Palestine flag on the flyover that is under construction at the protest venue at Ukkadam.
The police said that the case against M.S. Sabeer Ali, district secretary of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Abuthagir of Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi and one Rafeek was registered for offences under Sections 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 290 (public nuisance) 341 (wrongful restrain) of the IPC.
Coimbatore City Police Commissioner V. Balakrishnan said the offence involved was climbing up the flyover under construction in spite of warning and not for tying up Palestine flag.
The Coimbatore District United Jamath, the Federation of Islamic Organisations and Muslim-centric political parties jointly organised the protest at Ukkadam on Tuesday, demanding world countries to intervene and support Palestine and condemning the Union government, accusing it of supporting Israel.
“Ali, during the protest, instructed the crowd to spread into places that were not permitted by the police. The place allowed by the police for the protest was in front of a specific bakery. Abuthagir and Rafeek were booked for climbing up the flyover,” said another official.
Refuting the allegation by some sections of the people that the police action against the trio was indeed for placing the flag on the flyover, the official pointed out that the majority of the participants in the protest had pinned Palestine flag on their dresses and none of them were booked.
