BENGALURU:
In a surprising turn of events, the city police took the decision to lock down the BIFT auditorium, where an eagerly anticipated seminar on the Palestinian conflict was scheduled to take place.
The seminar, titled “Palestine Problem: An Overview,” was organized by the Solidarity Youth Movement Karnataka and was set to commence at 6:30 pm at the prestigious BIFT Auditorium on Queens Road.
The event boasted a panel of distinguished speakers, including social thinker Shivsunder, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind state president Dr. Muhammad Saad Belgami, senior lawyer and human rights activist BT Venkatesh, and the state president of Solidarity Youth Movement, Labid Shafi.
However, the police intervened earlier in the day, locking the hall and preventing the seminar from proceeding as planned. Reports indicate that the police cited the lack of permission as the reason for their intervention.
Organizers confirmed that they were summoned to the police station and informed that the event could not proceed due to the absence of official authorization.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the police contacted some dignitaries expected to participate in the seminar via phone and instructed them not to attend the event.
This incident follows a press conference by the organizers on the Palestine-Israel issue that took place on October 26.
