Bilaspur: Five youth in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, between the ages 19 and 24, have been arrested for allegedly flying Palestinian flags. This is the latest in a series of such incidents that have occurred throughout the nation during Israeli bombardment of the besieged Palestinian Gaza strip.
Sheikh Sameer Bkash, 20, Fidel Khan, 24, Mohammad Shoaib, 23, Sheikh Azeem, 19, and Sheikh Sameer, 22, were arrested, according to the police, following a complaint on Tuesday that some houses in Khudiram Bose Square in Bilaspur had Palestinian flags flying above them.
Five houses’ roofs had their flags removed after a team from the police superintendent’s office Puja Kumar stated they had visited the location. According to Kumar, they have filed a complaint against the five under Section 197(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with accusations and imputations prejudicial to national unification. If found guilty, the five may spend a maximum of five years behind prison.
The accused allegedly told police that after seeing atrocities against Palestinians, they flew the flags in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Kumar said the accused reportedly stitched and raised the flags on their roofs. “Further investigation was on.”
The accused intentionally tried to disturb the peace in that area, according to Inspector-General (Bilaspur) Sanjeev Shukla, by raising the flags during festivals observed by both the Muslim and Hindu communities. When questioned about whether flying the Palestinian flag was illegal, especially in light of India’s longstanding support for the cause of Palestine, he responded, “The case was registered on the intention of the accused.”
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