KENDRAPARA: A court in Kendrapara district on Wednesday sentenced two persons to two years of imprisonment for dishonouring the National Flag during Independence Day celebration in a school in 2004.
The convicts are SK Aiuddin (45) and SK Nashiruddin (47), both residents of Kanakanagar village under Rajnagar police limits. Pronouncing the verdict, Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Rajnagar Shibani Mishra convicted the duo under section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
As per the prosecution’s case, both the convicts along with one SK Moiuddin entered the premises of the government-run Binapani primary school at Kanakanagar on August 15, 2004 and prevented the school authorities from hoisting the National Flag. They also damaged the flag post and tore and desecrated the Tricolour in presence of teachers and students.
Later, headmaster of the school Umesh Chandra Das lodged an FIR against the three accused in the local police station. Basing on the complaint, police registered a case and arrested the accused. The trio was later released on bail. During the pendency of the case, Moiuddin died in 2020.
Public prosecutor Nalinikanta Mangaraj said the court convicted the accused duo after relying on material evidence and the statements of eight witnesses.