Kerala's Fort Kochi police registered an FIR against two Austrian women on Tuesday night after one of them tore down a pro-Palestine poster while the other one took the video on her phone.
The poster, which read "Silence is Violence, Stand up for Humanity", was put up by Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, in December 2023. SIO activists filed a complaint with Fort Kochi police, seeking to register an FIR against the women.
In viral footage, the Austrian women, who are Jewish, were seen arguing with SIO activists who questioned them for pulling down the poster. One of the women said, 'You're promoting propaganda and lies," adding that she did it for the Jewish people. The activists replied, saying it's their democratic right and they spoke against the atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians.
The activists protested in front of Fort Kochi police station at night following which an FIR was registered under IPC Section 153 (deliberately provocating with intent to cause a riot). The women who were summoned by police for interrogation were later released on bail.
The duo are reportedly in the city till Saturday and the police are trying to conclude the probe before that.
