By Meer Faisal
Two Muslim minors, aged 17 and 14, were detained by police in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, after they, along with other children, put up posters around the city calling for a boycott of “Israeli products”.
The boys posted photographs of the posters on social media on April 20. “Immediately, the next evening, they barged into our home, seized Tahseen from the terrace where he was playing, and took him away,” said the father of one of the boys, while talking to The Observer Post.
“I went to the police station at about 1:30 AM to give Tahseen some food. He was crying… I asked him what’s the matter, and he said that he was beaten by a policeman and abused by an e-rickshaw driver, who is the policeman’s friend. Both of them were drunk, and they abused him, his mother, and his sister,” he said.
Another boy’s brother also spoke to The Observer Post, urging the authorities to release the boys at once. “They are only minors, we want them to come home,” he said.
The posters featured logos of well‑known international brands that “profit from Israel’s military operations”, alongside a slogan in Urdu: “He who does not boycott Israeli goods will be a murderer of Gaza’s innocent children.”
The arrests come amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in widespread civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis. In response, global civil‑society groups—including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement—have urged consumers and institutions to avoid products linked to companies seen as supporting or profiting from the conflict.
No formal charges have been publicised, and police have not yet provided details on the specific legal provisions under which they are being held.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com.