An Indian tricolor flag was hoisted outside the gate of the Hurriyat Conference in Srinagar’s Raj Bagh area on Wednesday afternoon.
Eyewitnesses told The Kashmiriyat that Sandeep Mawa, the chairperson of Jammu Kashmir Reconciliation Front (JKRF) appended two flags at the entrance gate of the office of the separatist organization that has remained shut post-August 2019.
Late afternoon, images emerged which suggested that both the tricolours had been removed.
The Hurriyat leadership including its chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been under arrest since the unilateral abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which provided semi-autonomy to the Jammu Kashmir region, on August 05, 2019.
Pertinently, the administration, as a part of the campaign ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mohatsav,’ has asked people in Jammu Kashmir to hoist the Indian flag atop their houses. The campaign’s preparations, in the region, are being overseen by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.
Earlier, the campaign courted controversy after students and teachers were asked to pay 20 Indian rupees each, for the campaign. A video also went viral showing shopkeepers being forced to contribute to the campaign.
However, Kashmir’s Divisional Commissioner, PK Pole, denied the reports that people were being forced to pay for the campaign. He said that the campaign was voluntary. Later, a government employee was also placed under suspension for trying to ‘force’ shopkeepers to pay 20 rupees for the campaign.