Amid the commemoration of the 77th Independence Day, Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, took to social media platform X on Tuesday to express his dismay. Sharing a video, he wrote, "I hang my head in shame," as the clip depicted a young boy being incited by local women to show disrespect to the Tricolor.
Adhikari strongly urged law enforcement agencies to take stringent action against those responsible for this disgraceful act.
Expressing his deep regret, Adhikari said, "I hang my head in shame that this incident has happened in West Bengal. The Indian Flag has been disrespectfully grubbed up and thrown to the ground. This dispicable incident occurred yesterday at Itinda, Basirhat; North 24-Parganas, in front of Police personnel."
He went on to emphasise the legal sanctity accorded to the Indian National Flag, mentioning that it is classified as an Emblem under The Emblems And Names (Prevention Of Improper Use) Act, 1950. Adhikari pointed out that Section 2 of The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, specifically prohibits acts that display disrespect to the Indian National Flag in public view, including defacement or destruction. The Act stipulates a punishment of imprisonment up to three years, a fine, or both for such actions.
Adhikari shared the video, in which a woman is heard saying in Bengali that the area belongs to her. She is also heard instructing a young boy to remove the Indian National Flag.
In his social media post, Adhikari directed his message to the Chief Secretary, Director-General of @WBPolice, Superintendent of Police of the Basirhat Police District, and the District Magistrate of North 24-Parganas. He urged them to promptly identify and apprehend the culprits, emphasising the need for the strictest legal action to be taken against them.
