Flutter over 'restriction' to carry Indian flags inside cricket stadium in TN, police deny charge

There was a flutter at the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chepauk here, on Monday when a police officer on duty prevented a few cricket fans from carrying the Indian flag to witness the match between Pakistan and Afghanistan. As some fans attempted to take the Indian flags with them to the stadium to witness the match in which Pakistan chose to bat, a police sub-inspector forbade them. Soon news spread that the police prevented the fans from carrying the national tricolour.

However, when contacted a senior police official said there was no restriction on carrying the Indian flag.

"It is permitted. An officer had acted in his individual capacity and a departmental inquiry into the incident was on," he told PTI.


He claimed that this was an isolated incident and the police did not prevent anyone from carrying the flag.

The police official said flags belonging to India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan were allowed inside the stadium.

Meanwhile, BJP state chief K Annamalai lashed out at the police for allegedly denying permission to carry the flag.

"The police outside the stadium disallowed fans from carrying the Indian flag to today's match in Chepauk. Who gave TNCA this right?" Annamalai asked.

In a post on the social media platform X, he said: "we demand the strictest action against the police officers for insulting our National flag, and the DMK should apologise to the people of our state, failing which, @BJP4TamilNadu will be compelled to protest against this Corrupt DMK government for denigrating the sanctity of the Tricolor."