Desecration of National Flag: Flag wrapped around deceased by ignorant people in Chandrayangutta

HYDERABAD: The residents at Chandrayangutta of Old City in Hyderabad have caused a disgrace to the National flag by wrapping it around the dead body of a social activist.

The deceased identified as Saeed Bawazir, a social activist from Chandrayanagutta, was murdered by unknown persons on Thursday at midnight night near the Royal Sea Hotel, Bandlaguda. Police registered a case and sent the dead body for postmortem to Osmania Hospital and handed over it to deceased relatives after autopsy.

As the deceased was a social worker in, the local people as a token of respect wrapped his body with a National flag and kept it in a transparent box for the public to pay homage. However, the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, of 1971, made it clear that the flag might be used "at state funerals or by the armed forces or other para-military forces and it should not be used as drapery in any form except at funerals.

Police said that stern action would be taken against those violating the law.