Twelve people were “bound down” for not standing up during the national anthem played at a function here in June with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in attendance, police said on Thursday. Departmental action has also been initiated against the police music band for failing to ensure everyone stood up before the anthem was played, they said.
The 12 people were “bound down” under the CrPC sections 107 and 151 — the sections grant police the power to arrest or detain a person or ask him or her to sign a bond in anticipation of a crime.
According to officials, some people chose to not stand up during the closing ceremony of the ‘Pedal for Peace’ cycling event, organised by Jammu and Kashmir Police, on June 25. PTI
An executive magistrate in Srinagar has sent 11 men to jail for a week after they were held by J-K Police for allegedly not rising for the national anthem at a June 25 event attended by J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha.
The action against the men was initiated after Sinha took serious note of the incident. Contacted on Wednesday, the Srinagar Senior Superintendent of Police did not respond, and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar said he would check on it.
On Thursday noon, Srinagar Police, in a Twitter post, said, “There is an unverified news doing round that 14 policemen/persons have been arrested/suspended for disrespecting national anthem. It is clarified that the news is completely false, rather 12 persons have been generally bound down for good behaviour under sections 107/151 of CrPC.”
The men were produced on July 3 before the Executive Magistrate (Tehsildar Khanyar, Srinagar) who sent them to the Srinagar Central Jail under preventive custody.
“Today on 03/07/2023 police station Nishat presented the above-named accused in person before the court of undersigned in connection with a case registered under sec 107/151 CrPC against them in police station Nishat Srinagar. The proceeding of the case has been initiated as per docket placed on record and there is every likelihood that they may commit breach of peace and disturb public tranquillity if released,” the order of the Executive Magistrate stated.
“In view of the above facts, SHO police station Nishat Srinagar is directed to detain the above named accused in Central Jail Srinagar for 7 days from today and conduct the proceedings of the case under law,” the order stated.
On June 25, the J-K Police organised a cyclothon ‘Pedal for Peace’ in collaboration with the Cycle Association. Around 2,250 cyclists participated in the race and L-G Sinha attended the award ceremony and felicitated the winners.
Police sources said when the national anthem was being sung in the L-G’s presence, some people in the audience did not stand up. Police identified some of the men and detained them. Residents of the Valley, they are in the age group 21 to 54.
A relative of one of the 11 men said, “The families are hesitant to talk because they fear it will cause more harm than help those in custody.”
