Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Apr 17: In an alleged attempt to intimidate a woman, a group of men, reportedly belonging to BJP and campaigning for the party's Bengaluru South candidate Tejasvi Surya, forcibly removed what appeared to be a Muslim flag and demanded her to chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'.
The video, which has now gone viral, shows a group of men wearing saffron shawls on the terrace of a house. The person who shared the video claimed that the man removing the green flag is a BJP corporator and that the men were campaigning for Tejasvi Surya.
After removing the flag, the man is seen telling the woman not to put up such flags again. Thereafter, he coerces the woman to say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', and leaves only after she says so. He also takes the flag with him. His men meanwhile raise the same slogan.
Taking note of the incident, DCP South tweeted that the video has been brought to the attention of the returning officer and assured that action would be taken as per law.
JD(S) spokesperson Tanveer Ahmed told a news channel that the man is indeed a BJP corporator. He accused the BJP of trying to create communal tension with such acts and informed that Congress member Kavitha Reddy has filed a complaint about it.
Ahmed also asserted that though green in colour, it was not a Pakistani flag as claimed by some. "Every green flag is not a Pakistani flag," he said.
It may be mentioned here that the Indian Union Muslim League also has a green flag that bears the image of a white crescent moon and a star. Last month, controversy had erupted after right-wing groups claimed that Pakistani flags had been waved at Congress president Rahul Gandhi's road show in Wayanad, when in fact the flags were of the Indian Union Muslim League, which is an ally of the Congress in Kerala.