Chennai: As the Pakistan and Afghanistan teams clashed in the ICC World Cup 2023 match in Chennai’s M A Chidambaram Stadium on Monday, a controversy broke out after a police officer disallowed fans from carrying Indian flags.
The officer seized the tricolour from some of the fans and allegedly threw them into a dustbin. However, following objection by the fans, he retrieved the flags and put them in a waiting police vehicle.
Visuals of the police officer placing the flags in the vehicle were captured on camera and some television news channels beamed the same.
It was not immediately clear why the police officer acted in this manner. During cricket matches in Chennai it is common for police and security personnel to frisk fans and prevent them from taking in evens short flag poles but they allow only the cloth flags to be taken in.
Soon after the incident, the BJP and its supporters launched a campaign on the microblogging platform X, trending the hashtag #DMK_HatesIndianFlag.
BJP slams DMK and Congress
BJP state president K Annamalai sought strict action against the police “for insulting our National flag” and he wanted the ruling DMK to apologise to the people failing which the party would launch a protest.
Referring to State Youth Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s recent disapproval of fans chanting Jai Shri Ram after Pakistan lost to India recently, he questioned why the Indian flag was not allowed in Chennai stadium. He blamed the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association headed by Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy’s son Ashok Sigamani for the incident.
“The police outside the stadium disallowed fans from carrying the Indian flag to today’s match in Chepauk. Who gave TNCA this right?,” he asked on X.
