Kerala minister unfurls National Flag upside down in Kasaragod's Republic Day celebration

Minister and top police officers salute the inverted flag, gaffe corrected only after journalists on the ground intervened
Kasaragod district in-charge minister Ahammad Devarkovil unfurls the National Flag upside down, and salutes it without realising the gaffe at the Municipal Stadium in Vidyanagar. (Photo | Express)
Kasaragod district in-charge minister Ahammad Devarkovil unfurls the National Flag upside down, and salutes it without realising the gaffe at the Municipal Stadium in Vidyanagar. (Photo | Express)

Kasaragod: The Kasaragod district in-charge minister Ahammad Devarkovil was left embarrassed as the National Flag he unfurled at the Republic Day function on January 26, 2022, faced upside down.

The minister for ports and district police chief Vaibhav Saxena, district collector in-charge ADM A K Ramendran, and other top police officers saluted the upside-down flag hoisted at the Kasaragod Municipal Stadium in Vidyanagar on Wednesday.

The mistake was spotted by journalists on duty and alerted the officials.

The minister expressed his displeasure to the district police chief and stopped the function till the National Flag was correctly hoisted.

In 10 minutes, the flag was lowered and correctly re-hoisted, and the Republic Day ceremony was reset. The minister saluted the National Flag and went ahead with the inspection of the guard of honour.

District police chief Saxena would be submitting a report on the gaffe to Kannur range deputy inspector general Rahul R Nair.

Kasaragod MP Rajmohan Unnithan, MLAs A K M Ashraf, N A Nellikkunnu, C H Kunhambu, M Rajagopalan, and district panchayat president Baby Balakrishnan were the present to watch the parade.

Chandera police inspector Narayanan led the parade by Vanitha Police, Armed Police, and Excise Department.

The march past was dropped because of Covid restrictions.

On November 1, 2021, during Karnataka's Rajyotsava celebration in Mangaluru, the ports minister and minister in-charge of neighbouring Dakshina Kannada district S Angara had also hoisted the National Flag upside down. The officials corrected the mistake while Angara walked back to the stage.

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