The Subramanya Nagar Police in Bengaluru have registered a first information report against a group of people who allegedly did not stand up when the national anthem was played in a movie hall. They have been charged under Section 3 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, police inspector Sadananda M told The Hindu.
“We have registered the case suo moto,” the police told The Quint. “We don’t know how many people are involved. We will need to track them down.”
The incident occurred on October 23 at Bengaluru’s PVR Orion Mall during a screening of the Tamil movie Asuran. A section of the audience created a ruckus and forced the group to leave the movie hall for not standing up during the national anthem. A video showing Kannada actors Arun Gowda, BV Aishwarya and few others castigating the group was shared widely on social media.
In January 2018, the Supreme Court had modified its November 30, 2016 interim order and made it optional for cinema halls to play the 52-second national anthem before every show. “People do not need to stand up at a cinema hall to be perceived as patriotic,” the court had added.
Section 3 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, says those who “intentionally prevent the singing of Jana Gana Mana or cause disturbances to any assembly engaged in such singing” shall be punished with jail term extended upto three years.
The purported video was taken during the argument and not while the anthem was playing, said the police. They now need to ascertain if the national anthem was “dishonoured”. “We have issued notices to the staff of PVR seeking CCTV footage and also asked them if they have contact numbers of the accused, in case they had booked tickets online,” an officer told The Hindu.
In May, police arrested a 29-year-old sound engineer in Bengaluru for allegedly disrespecting the national anthem. He was also threatened with dire consequences by a man sitting next to him for not standing up during the national anthem.
In January 2018, the Supreme Court had modified its November 30, 2016 interim order and made it optional for cinema halls to play the 52-second national anthem before every show. “People do not need to stand up at a cinema hall to be perceived as patriotic,” the court had added.
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