MUSLIMS BURN THE TRICOLUR INDIAN FLAG ON REPUBLIC DAY IN

HYDERABAD

Tricolour found burnt at Moula Ali

Sunday January 27 2008

ENS

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEU20080126233711&Page=U&Title=
Hyderabad&Topic=0&

HYDERABAD: While the entire country was celebrating the Republic Day, back in the
dingy lanes of Moula Ali on the city outskirts, the Tricolour along with decorative
material was found burnt leading to tension in the locality.

The incident took place at Hanuman Basti of Moula Ali under the Malkajgiri police limits
on Saturday afternoon.

According to the police, the flag was hoisted by a group of persons early this Saturday
morning. Later, around 2 pm, some passers-by noticed the decorative items, which were
fixed to the pole, burnt.

Seconds later, they discovered that even the Tricolour was half burnt. As tension appeared
to be gripping the locality, police teams including Alwal zone DCP Mahesh Bhagwat
rushed to the spot.

"It appears to be mischief by someone. A CLUES team was also pressed into service to
ascertain whether the flag got burnt accidentally or it was deliberate," Bhagwat told this
website's newspaper.

Asked what ‘accidental’ could mean in this context, police officials explained that
someone, while trying to light a cigarette, might have thrown the burning match stick
close to the pole due to which the decorative papers caught fire and spread to the flag.
The pole is located on the road itself.

Police sources further said area domination between two politically-connected groups
could also have led one of them to indulge in the mischief to project the other group in a
poor light.

"Even this angle is being verified. Discreet enquiries revealed that there is always a tug of
war between the two groups as to who should host the flag," a police official associated
with the investigation said without elaborating.

The investigators are also trying to track down a few eye-witnesses, including locals, who
they believe might have seen something connected to the incident.
A case of mischief has been registered as of now. "During investigation, if we get
evidence that someone burnt the flag deliberately, the sections would be altered and a
case of causing dishonour to the National Flag would be registered," Malkajgiri police
said.

Flag burnt in mysterious fire

27 Jan 2008, 0112 hrs IST , TNN

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Flag_burnt_in_mysterious_fire/articleshow/2734481.
cms

HYDERABAD: A Tricolour hoisted on Saturday on the occasion of the 59th Republic

Day at Moula Ali was burnt partially under mysterious circumstances.

A local politician of Hanuman Basti in Moula Ali, Laxman Goud, hoisted the flag in the
morning. It was at around 2 pm when passersby noticed that the flag post had caught fire.
The fire spread as the decoration papers caught fire and it soon spread to the rope and the
flag. Locals doused the fire but by then the Tricolour was partially burnt, Malkajgiri
police inspector M Madhusudhan Reddy said.

"It is suspected that the incense sticks lighted near the flag post might have sparked the
fire," Madhusudhan Reddy said.

Police also suspect that a lighted matchstick careless thrown by someone might have
caused the fire.

Police said sabotage angle would also be looked into. Clues Team personnel reached the
spot to collect evidence of any possible sabotage.

It was also said that two political groups were having rivalry with each other over gaining
an upper hand in the locality. Police are looking if this would have led to the incident.

A case of mischief was booked but would be altered to relevant sections of insulting the
national flag if investigations prove the sabotage angle, police said.

Mild tension prevailed in the locality after the incident. Locals staged a dharna
demanding arrest of the culprits for insulting the national flag. Police forces were rushed
to prevent any untoward incident.

Tricolour found burnt at Moula Ali Hyderabad,

Sunday, 27 January 2008
http://www.siasat.com/english/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=239382&Itemi
d=79&cattitle=Hyderabad

While the entire country was celebrating the Republic Day, back in the dingy lanes of
Moula Ali on the city outskirts, the Tricolour along with decorative material was found
burnt leading to tension in the locality.

The incident took place at Hanuman Basti of Moula Ali under the Malkajgiri police limits
on Saturday afternoon.

According to the police, the flag was hoisted by a group of persons early this Saturday
morning. Later, around 2 pm, some passers-by noticed the decorative items, which were
fixed to the pole, burnt.

Seconds later, they discovered that even the Tricolour was half burnt. As tension appeared
to be gripping the locality, police teams including Alwal zone DCP Mahesh Bhagwat
rushed to the spot.

"It appears to be mischief by someone. A CLUES team was also pressed into service to
ascertain whether the flag got burnt accidentally or it was deliberate," Bhagwat told this
website's newspaper.

Asked what ‘accidental’ could mean in this context, police officials explained that
someone, while trying to light a cigarette, might have thrown the burning match stick
close to the pole due to which the decorative papers caught fire and spread to the flag.
The pole is located on the road itself.

Police sources further said area domination between two politically-connected groups
could also have led one of them to indulge in the mischief to project the other group in a
poor light.

"Even this angle is being verified. Discreet enquiries revealed that there is always a tug of
war between the two groups as to who should host the flag," a police official associated
with the investigation said without elaborating.

The investigators are also trying to track down a few eye-witnesses, including locals, who
they believe might have seen something connected to the incident.

A case of mischief has been registered as of now. "During investigation, if we get

evidence that someone burnt the flag deliberately, the sections would be altered and a
case of causing dishonour to the National Flag would be registered," Malkajgiri police
said.

--Agencies