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Dear Jean Dreze, Harsh Mander, Nandita Narain and about a hundred other Indians who gathered together in Nehru Place on July 19 to show solidarity with the people of Palestine,

First of all, thank you for doing something so selflessly brave and decent, and standing in solidarity with your fellow humans in another part of the world who are suffering a genocide so horrific that it almost defies description.

Secondly, instead of holding your protest inside the ridiculously tiny, designated Jantar Mantar protest site to which most peaceful protests in the city are now confined, your choice of Nehru Place as an open, public market square frequented by working-class people, students, and office-goers was a brave attempt to reclaim democratic space in a city where protest is now virtually criminalised. 

You were probably expecting trouble from the police, as, unfortunately, do most people who still take Article 19 (1) (a) of the Indian Constitution seriously (Freedom of speech and expression, a fundamental right given to its citizen against the state, which includes carrying out public demonstrations peacefully.)

I can only imagine your shock and chagrin when the trouble suddenly came from the very people you were trying to reach with your message of humanity and solidarity.

The pro-Palestine protest at Nehru Place in Delhi today, July 19, 2025. Photo: By arrangement.

Within minutes, the hundreds of people milling around the central courtyard of Nehru Place suddenly turned into an angry mob and starting attacking you! They started shouting “Jai Shri Ram!”, “Israel Zindabad!” and “Palestine Muradabad!”

The crowd almost became violent and started screaming at you. One man heckled Harsh........

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