Hamas leaders’ virtual presence in pro-Palestine rallies in India is a matter of concern, according to top intelligence sources.
Former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal on Friday virtually addressed a rally in support of Palestinians in Kerala’s Malappuram. Another Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh could not join virtually. The Solidarity Youth Movement, the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, had organised the event.
“We have all recordings and are analysing it carefully,” said the source.
Hamas leader Khaled Mashel's virtual address at the Solidarity event in Malappuram is alarming. Where's @pinarayivijayan's Kerala Police ? Under the guise of 'Save Palestine,' they're glorifying Hamas, a terrorist organization, and its leaders as 'warriors.' This is… pic.twitter.com/51tWi88wTb— K Surendran (@surendranbjp) October 27, 2023
“Hamas is not a banned organisation in India. So far, Hamas leaders have not spoken anything against India. All options are open. Where applicable, cases of waging war against India will be registered,” he said.
Sources added that India is “not neutral on this issue and action will definitely be taken after careful analysis”.
Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief K Surendran on Saturday raised the issue on social media, sharing a poster displaying Mashal’s participation in the event organised by the district wing of the movement in Malappuram, ruing the situation in traditionally secular Kerala. “Terrorist leaders of Hamas take part in events (in the state). It was virtual participation only because he didn’t obtain a visa. The organisers’ intentions were evident…,” Surendran said.
The BJP chief urged both Kerala police and central agencies to investigate the incident further. However, Suhaib C T, state president of the Solidarity Youth Movement, justified the virtual participation of the Hamas leader. “He took part in our programme organised to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and to condemn the onslaught by Israel. No need to see anything unusual in that,” he told PTI.
#WATCH | On Hamas leader Khaled Mashal's participation at a pro-Palestine rally in Kerala, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla says, This is very unfortunate…Kerala govt is giving a platform to such organisations and their leaders who have a terrorist mindset and killed more than 700… pic.twitter.com/OZfrvidllY— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2023
He said Hamas is not an organisation that is operational in India or a banned outfit, and so his participation was not a crime under the law. There would be many more solidarity events in India, which would prove the support of Indians for Palestinians, Suhaib said.
With PTI Inputs
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