A postgraduate student in Mumbai, Harshada Borade, says members of the Bandra police’s anti-terrorism unit spent more than nine hours searching her home without presenting a warrant, and that her friends were mistreated during the raid. She said this followed her participation in a pro-Palestine kite-flying event on September 15. Borade added that her landlord has since asked her to move out.
In a video shared on Sunday, Borade said that around 15 officers searched her home from 5 pm on Friday until 3 am the following day, without issuing any formal notice or showing a warrant. She said officers in plain clothes declined to identify themselves, entered her private space without permission, went through her notebooks and journals, noted down the titles of her books, and took photos and videos of her belongings.
As of now, Bandra police have not filed an FIR against Borade; officials say they are collecting information and conducting a background check on her. DCP (West Zone-2) Mohit Garg said the matter was being looked into following standard legal procedure.
The organization Indian People In Solidarity With Palestine (IPSP), which counts Borade as a member, said six to seven officers in plain clothes came to her home and identified themselves as police. The group alleged she was held without any written notification and was later brought back to her residence.
IPSP further claimed the search continued past 2:30 am on September 19, and that Borade’s friends were physically and verbally mistreated during the process. According to the group, two volunteers were handcuffed and had their phones taken away, while others present were threatened with legal consequences and violence.
IPSP said the official search record (panchnama) tied the raid to a nationwide kite-flying campaign showing solidarity with children in Gaza, and that it listed books and quotes attributed to Bhagat Singh and Savitribai Phule among the items found in her home. The group also alleged that the document described the search as unplanned, but said it had been authorized by senior officers after Borade’s conduct was deemed “suspicious.”
