Mumbai Police allegedly prevented five activists from leaving a residence in the city while officers searched the premises after the group took part in a kite-flying campaign in solidarity with Palestinian children, the activists said.
The activists are members of Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine, a citizens’ group that participated in an international Gaza kite campaign held from Sept. 11 to Sept. 15.
A sixth activist was questioned at Bandra police station on Friday and released later that evening, the group said.
According to the activists, plainclothes personnel claiming to be police officers arrived at the home of a volunteer and student, identified as Harshada, at about 3 p.m. on Friday.
Uniformed police officers began searching the residence at around 5:30 p.m., the group said, alleging that they did so without presenting a warrant or written notice.
Police remained at the residence for more than nine hours, leaving at about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, according to Pooja, a friend of Harshada and a member of the group.
The police prepared a list of items found at the property and later drew up a panchnama, a document used in Indian investigations to record observations and material collected during a search, Pooja said.
She said the officers did not explain why the search was being conducted.
The group said the police action amounted to a violation of civil liberties and the right to privacy and called for action against what it described as unlawful conduct.
Two deputy commissioners of police did not respond to requests for comment, while Ravindra Salunkhe, a senior police inspector in Bandra, said he was unaware of the details of the incident, according to the activists’ account. Reuters was not immediately able to independently verify the allegations.
The kite-flying campaign was organised after Israel threatened to treat kites and balloons launched from Gaza as security threats comparable to drones. The threats led some Palestinian parents to stop their children from flying kites, according to reports.
The campaign in India was intended as a symbolic expression of solidarity with children in Gaza, the activists said.
Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza in October 2023 after Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The ensuing war has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza.
By September 2025, the Gaza Health Ministry said more than 64,000 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli attacks since the start of the war. International organisations and rights groups have also documented extensive civilian casualties and displacement.
In September 2025, a United Nations commission of inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a finding Israel rejected. The commission’s conclusion came as Israeli forces intensified their assault on Gaza City and large numbers of Palestinians were displaced.
The commission has also reported extensive harm to Palestinian children. Separately, a U.N. committee reviewing Israel’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child said Israeli military operations had resulted in the deaths and injuries of large numbers of children in Gaza, while expressing concern over attacks affecting civilian infrastructure.
The Israeli government has repeatedly said its military operations are directed at Hamas and that it seeks to minimise harm to civilians. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and several other countries.
For the Mumbai activists, the kite campaign was intended to draw attention to the impact of the conflict on Palestinian children. The group said the police search represented an attempt to restrict peaceful political expression.
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