Uttar Pradesh: Residents in Muslim colonies have been asked to remove the national flag from their house roofs by the administration in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, according to a report published by The Hindu on Friday, February 14.
Inspired by the female-driven protest in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, the women here have been staging a protest against the newly-implemented CAA and NRC since last month.
Speaking to The Hindu, Sub-divisional Magistrate Rakesh Kumar admitted to making announcements asking the residents to remove the Indian flag from their rooftops. He said, “We don’t want people to remove the national flag but they should follow the flag code, which expects people to respect the flag and hoist it only from sunrise to sunset.”
It can be noted that the Supreme Court had said that flying the national flag on personal properties was a fundamental right of every Indian citizen.
Responding to this, Kumar said that it was not a big “issue” and added that he had issued the announcement based on a few oral complaints which alleged that the Tricolour was not being respected.
The order has not been available in writing as no formal notices have been issued by the administration in this regard.
Commenting on the matter, SP leader Mavia Ali said, “I have asked the SDM to give us in writing or file an FIR against us for flying the national flag. We are being told not to raise the national flag at the protest site in Idgah ground. The anti-CAA movement is a nationalist movement and the Tricolour is used in any such movement.”
“Deoband played an important role in the freedom movement and we aspire to be wrapped in the national flag on our last journey,” he added.
