Bengaluru: It appears that the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru has no respect for the country’s tricolour. The Thiranga was seen flying even after the sunset and it fluttered on till late night on Thursday 23rd April. A retired Assistant Commissioner of Police K Ramesh Babu, who was returning to Bangalore along with his family and friends noticed the disrespect shown to the Thiranga and recorded the same via photography and video These photos and video are available with Newskarnataka and are shown here.
Ramesh Babu, his friend senior advocate K Devaraj, Amarnarayan and their family members were on a family trip to north India and returned on Thursday night by Indigo flight which landed at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport at Devanhalli. It was 7.45 PM when they touched down and found the Thiranga fluttering in the night sky.
“There are local Airport police, Central Industrial Security forces and also Airport Authority of India officials at the airport and they have the knowledge of how to practice the Flag code of India. But it was shocking to me, that none bothered about the tricolour,” Ramesh Babu told Newskarnataka.
It is not the first time he is witnessing this. When he was returning from Pune to Bangalore in the month of August, he had witnessed the same and he had alerted the local police also. “Being a retired policeman and citizen of this country, I can’t tolerate such a thing. The International airport is the place, where people from all over the world will come and this type of negligence is a shame for us,” he stated. When Newskarnataka tried to contact Airport Authority of India, nobody was available for comment.
Watch the Video:
Flag Code stipulations
The flag code clearly says, “ Where the practice is to fly the Flag on any public building, it shall be flown on that building on all days including Sundays and holidays and, except as provided in this Code, it shall be flown from sun-rise to sun-set irrespective of weather conditions. The Flag may be flown on such a building at night also but this should be only on very special occasions. The special occasions are Republic Day or the Independence Day”.
The Indian Government in 2009, amended the flag code and said that the flag could be flown on a public building at night under special circumstances; currently, Indian citizens can fly the flag even at night, subject to the restriction that the flag should be hoisted on a tall flagpole and be well-illuminated. But, the flag that was flown at the airport on Tuesday night was not well-illuminated.
Display and usage of the flag is governed by the Flag Code of India, 2002; the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950; and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. Insults to the national flag, including gross affronts or indignities to it, as well as using it in a manner so as to violate the provisions of the Flag Code, are punishable by law with imprisonment up to three years, or a fine, or both.
