Bihar: Three arrested for hoisting Pakistan flag

Officials in Bihar went into a tizzy after reports of Pakistani flag hoisted atop a house in Nalanda, reports M I Khan from Patna.

Three people including a woman were arrested in Bihar's Nalanda district on Thursday for hoisting the national flag of Pakistan atop a building.

"We have arrested three people on charges of sedition after a first information report was registered," Nalanda Superintendent of Police Kumar Ashish said.

The district administration swung into action after private TV channels showed the green flag with moon and crescent hoisted at the house of one Anwarul Haque in Kharadi colony in Biharsharif, district headquarters of Nalanda.

Nalanda is the home district of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

However, the house owner had a different story to tell.

He reportedly told the police that he had no son for many years after marriage and hence he and his wife took a vow to visit Pakistan if they had a son. He said they had failed to fulfil the promise after the birth of a baby boy and had put up a Pakistan flag atop his brick house to compensate for that.

The accused have been booked under sections 124 A, 153 A and 34 of IPC, the police said.

As the news flashed on TV channels, the opposition attacked the Nitish Kumar government over the episode. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader C P Thakur demanded stern action into the matter.

Hindustani Awam Morcha, an ally of BJP, spokesman Danish Rizwan said "efforts are on to turn Bihar into Jammu and Kashmir. The Centre should intervene immediately to stop such anti-national activities in Bihar."

Last week the police arrested Mohammad Taufique in Patna in connection with alleged 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans raised during a march.

According to police officials, the march, under the banner of Popular Front of India was organised in support of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Chief Asauddin Owaisi on Friday.

With inputs from PTI