Srinagar: The Indian tricolor was allegedly displayed upside down during a rally led by senior BJP leader Rajiv Jasrotia in Kathua district of Jammu, police said on Saturday, PTI reported. An FIR was lodged for insulting the tricolor.
The FIR was registered on Friday against unknown persons in Kathua Police Station under Section 2 (insulting the national flag or the Constitution) of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, a police official told PTI.
A local resident, Vinod Nijhawan, in a complaint alleged the national flag was disrespected during the rally led by Jasrotia, who is a former minister, and BJP candidate Rahul Dev Sharma, the official said.
Jasrotia had accompanied Sharma in a procession from his Shiv Nagar residence to file nomination papers for ward number 19 on Thursday for the Urban Local Body polls.
The complainant presented a video clip purportedly showing a person, just behind the BJP legislator, holding the tricolor upside down during the procession which covered a distance of over two km, the official said.
In his complaint, Nijhawan said the act was “very heinous” and hurt the “sentiments of the patriotic citizens of India”. The official said an investigation was underway in the matter.
Meanwhile, on the last day of filing nominations for the second phase of urban local body (ULB) elections in JK, as many as 772 candidates filed their nominations in Kathua, Udhampur, Doda and Ramban districts,, election officials said on Friday.
Nominations were filed by 380 candidates in Kathua district on Thursday, followed by 198 in Udhampur district, 120 in Doda district and 74 in Ramban district.
The candidates have filed nominations for five municipal committees and one municipal council of the district, the officials said, adding 266 men and 114 women are in fray for the polls.
In 80 wards of Kathua district, 380 nominations have been filed, of which 152 came from national parties, 30 from regional parties, and 198 nominations were filed by independent candidates, they added.
The scrutiny of nominations will be held Friday and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 1. The polls are slated for October 10, from 7 am to 2 pm, they added.
A total of 198 candidates filed their nominations in Udhampur district for one Municipal Council and two Municipal Committees of the district. 138 men and 60 women have filed their nomination papers, they said.
As many as 78 candidates are from national parties, 30 from state parties and 90 are contesting as Independent candidates for 41 wards of the three local urban bodies, they said.
