Bhopal: FIR to be lodged against Amazon for dishonouring national flag, says Home Minister Narottam Mishra

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to lodge a case against Amazon for merchandising some products including apparel and food items that feature images of the Indian flag.

State Home Minister Narottam Mishra said that he had instructed the Director General of Police (DGP), Madhya Pradesh to lodge an FIR against the company and its owner.

“It is very shameful. I have instructed the DGP to lodge an FIR against the company and take further action. They are even using national flags for selling footwear, which is objectionable and action must be taken,” Mishra said.

The Amazon on Monday faced the ire of a section of Indian social medua users, with some saying that using the tricolour in such a way was an insult and a violation of the country’s flag code.

The company, however in a late evening statement, said it remains committed to take necessary action against sellers who may have listed any non-compliant products.

Netizens shared pictures of items like apparel, cups, keychains and chocolates that feature images or imprints of the tricolour on Amazon.in website, and sought a ban on these items.

Hashtags like #AmazonInsultsNationalFlag were trending on Twitter.

When contacted, Amazon said Amazon.

"We require all products offered on the marketplace to comply with applicable laws and constantly take appropriate action on non-compliance. Amazon remains committed to take necessary action against sellers who may have listed any non-compliant products," the company said.

Some social media users noted that using the tricolour on products is against the Flag Code Of India, 2002.

A section of the social media users said such usage is an insult to the national flag while others pointed out that it was a cheap method of increasing sales and that this will not increase the patriotism of Indian citizens.

"The flag shall not be used as a portion of costume or uniform of any description. It shall not be embroidered or printed upon cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins or boxes," as per the Code.

This is not the first time that Amazon is facing such a backlash.

In 2017, Amazon was forced to remove doormats depicting Indian flag that were listed on its Canadian website after a strong protest by India.

Published on: Tuesday, January 25, 2022, 12:56 PM IST