Kota (Rajasthan) Sep 16(PTI) Three boys were detained on Monday for allegedly tampering with the national flag by drawing a "crescent moon and black stars", and waving it ahead of the Milad-un-Nabi procession, police said.
A purported video of the incident surfaced on social media.
Upon seeing the video, the police recovered the tampered flag and detained the boys, Circle Inspector at Anantpura police station Bhupendra Singh said.
During the investigation, the police found that the boys were preparing the flag to be displayed during the procession of Milad un Nabi. They secretly drew a crescent moon and black stars on both sides of the flag.
Meanwhile, local Hindu outfits expressed protested against the disrespect of the national flag and submitted a memorandum to the CI of the Anantpura police station, pitching a demand for arrest and stern action in the matter.
The leaders of Hindu outfits alleged it was a planned conspiracy wherein the tempered flag was handed over to the minors. A case should be lodged against the originators of the procession, said Yogendra Renwal, provincial convenor of Bajrang Dal, Kota.
Meanwhile, the situation turned tense for a brief span in Baran city when a group of people from the procession attempted to march through an unscheduled route at Pratap Cihowk in the city, Baran S.P. Rajkumar Choudhary told the media.
However, the police persuaded the people to march through the scheduled route, Choudhary said. The procession was conducted successfully.
A similar incident also occurred in Bihar's Saran district where police on Monday detained two persons for allegedly carrying India's national flag with a 'crescent moon and star' in place of the Ashoka Chakra during a procession.