Already there’s a heated debate going on about National Anthem. A video which ignited this debate again is from Bengaluru movie theatre showing actor Arun Gowda and a few other people shouting at a group of four for allegedly not standing up during the national anthem has gone viral.
The incident occurred on October 23 at the Bengaluru’s PVR Orion Mall during the screening of Tamil movie, Asuran. The video, being shared widely on social media, shows a bunch of moviegoers led by Gowda shaming two men and two women and calling them “Pakistani terrorists” for “not sparing 52 seconds for the country”.
“Not able to spare 52 seconds for the country, but you have the audacity to sit here and watch a three-hour movie? Are you Pakistani terrorists?” a man is heard saying on video.
Gowda was seen saying to the camera, “When the nation anthem came on, these guys didn’t stand. Look at these guys … look at their faces once again. They are telling us to file a complaint,” he says and continues shooting the video.
As the argument continues, another man is heard telling the four people, “Our soldiers are fighting for us in Kashmir and you guys are sitting here and don’t even stand for the national anthem. Get out of this place.”
The video was shared by Kannada actress BV Aishwarya in a Facebook post but was later taken down.
In May this year, 29-year-old man from Bengaluru was arrested after he refused to stand up while the national anthem was playing.
As per an earlier Supreme Court order, it is not mandatory to stand during the national anthem, if it is being played inside a cinema hall.
