A man was arrested on Sunday after a Pakistani flag was allegedly hoisted at his home Dewas district, 153 km south west of Bhopal, police said.
Farukh Khan, a resident of Shipra village of Dewas district, was arrested under section 153A (promoting enmity between groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of Indian Penal Code (IPC), police said.
Khan, who is in his 40s, was arrested after a video clip went viral on social media in which Pakistan’s national flag was seen hoisted on the roof of his house. No one is seen in the video while the flag flutters in the wind. HT cannot vouch for the veracity of the video clip.
The tehsildar concerned of the area sent a revenue inspector Lakhan Singh to visit the spot to check if there was actually a Pakistani flag.
“When I met Farukh Khan he told me that his minor son had unfurled Pakistan’s national flag due to ignorance and that when he came to know about it he burnt the flag,” Lakhan Singh said.
Industrial Area police station, Dewas in charge sub-inspector RK Sharma said, “The revenue inspector Lakhan Singh lodged a complaint with the police station on Sunday based on the statement of Farukh Khan.”
“A team reached the house of Khan in Shipra village for investigation. Khan repeated his statement that his minor son had unfurled Pakistan’s flag due to ignorance and that when he saw it he removed the flag and destroyed it by burning it,” said Sharma.
{{/usCountry}}“A team reached the house of Khan in Shipra village for investigation. Khan repeated his statement that his minor son had unfurled Pakistan’s flag due to ignorance and that when he saw it he removed the flag and destroyed it by burning it,” said Sharma.
{{/usCountry}}Khan runs a tyre puncture repair shop.
However, investigating officer Jitendra Yadav said on Sunday night, “The statement of Farukh Khan was found partly untrue as he had not destroyed the flag which has been seized now. The FIR has names of the family members of Farukh Khan too but we will not disclose the names right now. However, only Farukh Khan has been arrested and he would be produced before the local court on Monday.”
“It’s a matter of investigation as to from where Farukh Khan or any other member of his family got the national flag of Pakistan. The investigation is still going on. The family members will be questioned too,” Yadav said.
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