Delhi police on Monday detained several students from Leftist groups as they tried to hold a protest near the Israeli embassy in support of Palestinians.

The student groups alleged that the police had dragged many protesters and “attacked” them before detaining them.

Students from JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia and Delhi University had assembled around 1pm to hold a protest march to the embassy. The police had erected barricades to stop them from reaching the embassy on Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road.

Abhigyan, Delhi unit president of the CPIM Liberation-backed All India Students Association (AISA), said the police detained around 200 protesters near the Israel embassy.

“I, along with several AISA activists, have been detained and we are being taken to Najafgarh,” he said.

Abhigyan accused the police of launching “a deeply violent attack on protesters” and said that “many of our friends have been injured”.

“Why are the Delhi police crushing all solidarity with Palestine? The people of Delhi have shown that India stands with Palestine against the inhuman occupation,” he said.

A statement from the CPM-backed Students Federation of India (SFI) leader Aishe Ghosh said Israel had launched a full-fledged attack on Palestinians in which hundreds had been killed.

“To demand humanitarian intervention from the Indian government as well as the governments across the world, SFI Delhi called for a demonstration outside the Israeli embassy in India,” the SFI statement said.

“Amidst heavy police deployment, a lot of demonstrators were detained even before the protest could start. They were brutally picked up right from the Metro stations and their vehicles. Police also attacked the hundreds of students that had joined for the gathering. Injuries were suffered by many demonstrators.”

The SFI said it condemned the attack on students standing in solidarity with Palestine and also “condemns the Indian government’s weak international stance and their favour of Israeli human rights violation in the Gaza strip”.

A police officer said that students were detained when they tried to march towards the embassy because they did not have permission for the march.