Delhi Man Tears, Dumps Saffron Religious Flags In Drain, Held

New Delhi: Delhi police on Wednesday arrested a man for allegedly insulting saffron flags placed along a street in northeast Delhi's Shastri Park area, news agency PTI reported. Around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Sagar (23), a Shastri Park resident, came to the police station and reported that on the eve of Ram Navami, some small-sized, saffron-coloured religious flags were placed along the A Block street, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey. Around 12.30 am, his neighbour Azim tore a few flags, trampled them and dumped them in a nearby drain, police said. Someone filmed the entire incident which got viral on social media, they said.

A case under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered on Tuesday, police said.

Azim has been arrested and further investigation is on, police added.

Earlier on March 29, a young man was apprehended for allegedly insulting a saffron flag placed near a mosque in northeast Delhi's Jyoti Nagar.

An FIR was registered against Falz Alam (18) for disrespecting the flag near the mosque Moula Baksh situated at B-Block, Ashok Nagar, a video of which went viral on social media.

The incident comes on the heels of clashes in West Bengal and Bihar during Ram Navami celebrations. On Monday, West Bengal Police arrested a 19-year-old boy in connection with the violence during Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal`s Howrah. Arrested from neighbouring Bihar, the youth allegedly brandished a weapon during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah. 

The accused, identified as Sumit Shaw, was purportedly seen brandishing a weapon in a video now viral on social media. According to the police, the accused is a resident of Salkia in Howrah and had been absconding since the incident. 

"I can only say that West Bengal police arrested one person. Now after court permission, they will take the arrested man on a transit remand," Munger Superintendent of Police Jagunath Reddy Jalareddy said.

TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh claimed that the violence on Ram Navami was a conspiracy by the BJP to trigger unrest in West Bengal. "In the Howrah incident on Ram Navami, a boy was spotted carrying a revolver in the BJP procession. With his arrest, the BJP`s plot to incite violence stands exposed. Howrah Police arrested him in Bihar`s Munger. The case has been assigned to the CID," the TMC leader said.