Mumbai Police raids volunteer home over pro-Palestine kite event

The personnel allegedly barged into Harshada's house and searched it without a warrant or any similar document authorising their search despite being repeatedly asked for it, the IPSP said.

Mumbai: Expressing solidarity with Palestine has allegedly landed several activists in trouble with the Mumbai Police, which detained three pro-Palestine campaigners and searched the home of one of them following a kite-flying event held for Palestinian children.

In a statement shared on their Facebook page, the Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine (IPSP) said, “Starting early evening on September 18 (Friday) and extending up to the early hours of September 19 (Saturday), Mumbai Police officials raided the house of pro-Palestine and IPSP activist Harshada Borade — a student and an artist — for flying kites in solidarity with Palestinian children, as part of the Global Gaza Kite Weekend 2026.”

It goes on to add that earlier in the week, the police had similarly identified two others who had participated in the IPSP Kite Campaign, “harassed them and forced them into ‘complying’ with their demands, without providing any notice stating the said need for compliance”.

The IPSP alleged that around 6-7 Mumbai Police personnel in plainclothes arrived at Harshada’s residence at around 5 pm on Friday. “Without any written notice, they intimidated her and detained her. Despite repeated questions, the officials refused to identify themselves or provide any grounds for their actions.”

The personnel allegedly barged into her house and searched it without a warrant or any similar document authorising their search despite being repeatedly asked for it, it said.

Harshada’s friends, who were there, alleged that they too were “manhandled and abused by the police personnel”.

“One of the police personnel, who appeared to be drunk, handcuffed two of us and forcefully confiscated our phones when we refused to hand them over without being given any grounds,” one of them said. They alleged that the officials warned “about making life difficult” for them.

An hours-long search yields only photos and literature

The search continued for over nine hours, said the IPSP, adding that the officials left after 2.30 am on Saturday. “In the ensuing period, they searched and photographed her books and literature, posters, and personal belongings.”

According to the panchnama, this was the police’s response to Harshada’s participation in the September 15 kite campaign which they called a ‘protest’. “The act that they referred to, in fact, was a country-wide kite-flying campaign organised by IPSP in solidarity with children in Gaza,” said the organisation.

The panchnama lists books and quotations by Bhagat Singh and Savitribai Phule among the items found in the house. It adds that the senior officials authorised the search as they found Harshada’s behaviour ‘suspicious’.

However, as the IPSP pointed out, “When those present rightfully questioned why seven officials were required to escort one person if the action had not been planned in advance, the police refused to provide an answer.”

‘Violation of volunteer’s right to privacy, freedom of expression’

The organisation pointed out how the Mumbai Police chose to spend close to three days probing an incident which was merely a kite-flying event at a private residence.

“Without a doubt, these actions constitute a grave violation of Harshada’s right to privacy and her right to freedom of expression, both of which are fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India.

Condemning the police action, the IPSP said, “…barging inside a woman’s place of residence also raises concerns about the state of women’s safety and poses pertinent questions about the Mumbai Police’s role in creating an unsafe environment for women in the city.”