A controversy has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir over a diktat from officials directing shopkeepers and students to pay Rs 20 as a “deposit fee” for the tricolour to be unfurled as part of the nationwide ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ programme this Independence Day.
Chief Education Officer (CEO) Anantnag, Mohammad Sharief, had to withdraw a controversial circular for schools in the district, asking students and teachers to pay the Rs 20 fee after the order went viral on social media.
Similarly, in a purported video, officials of Municipal Committee Bijbehara town in Anantnag, were making announcements and threatening shopkeepers that “in case they failed to deposit the amount their licenses may get cancelled.”
Both – CEO’s circular and video of Municipal Committee Bijbehara was shared by Mehbooba Mufti - PDP president and former chief minister of J&K - questioning the rationale of the administration to issue such diktats.
“The manner in which J&K admin is forcing students, shopkeepers & employees to pay for national flag to hoist it is as if Kashmir is an enemy territory that needs to be captured. Patriotism comes naturally & can’t be imposed,” she tweeted.
In another tweet she questioned the administration’s decision to make a lower rung government employee as a scapegoat for the decision.
“Unfortunately a lower rung government employee who announced the diktat to hoist the Indian flag was fired & will bear the brunt of an atrocious order passed by higher ups. FYI here is another directive asking students to purchase the national flag for Har Ghar Tiranga (sic),” the former CM tweeted.
After Mehbooba’s tweets, a senior district official clarified that the flag campaign was purely voluntary and the circular was withdrawn. “The decision had been taken without my permission and the person responsible - the announcer - has been suspended,” Deputy Commissioner Anantnag Piyush Singla said.
‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ is a national campaign to encourage every household to fly the Tricolour in the run-up to the 75th anniversary of Independence Day on August 15. On July 23, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, P K Pole had clarified that the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign was a voluntary movement and there was no compulsion in it.
Since 1990 when the armed insurgency broke out in Kashmir, most people in the Valley had traditionally stayed away from national celebrations such as Independence and Republic day functions.
However, for the first time ever, hundreds of schools in the Valley hoisted the tricolour during last year’s Independence Day. While in most of the schools students stayed away, teachers participated in the functions.
This year authorities have announced a series of events from August 13 to 15 and efforts are on to make the campaign successful.