3 held for waving Palestine flag during Eid-e-Milad procession; ‘inspired by social media’

Cops say accused were inspired by social media reels and Instagram videos purportedly glorifying the Palestine flag;

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As per the United Nations, Gaza has witnessed a displacement of more than 1.9 million people, which is around 90% of the country’s population. (Express Archives)

Three young men were arrested and a minor boy detained for allegedly waving a Palestine flag during an Eid-e-Milad procession in Balaghat city of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.

Preliminary investigation suggested that these individuals were inspired by social media reels and Instagram videos purportedly glorifying the Palestine flag, a senior police officer said.

“Some youths waved the Palestine flags during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession on Monday. Police acted swiftly and identified some individuals based on videos,” Balaghat Superintendent of Police Nagendra Singh told reporters.

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He said the arrests were made under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) section 197 (2). The arrested persons are identified as Shaquib Khan (25), Tauhib Baig (20), and Sohail (18), and a minor boy was detained, Singh said, adding they all are residents of Raja Nagar area.

Police are investigating the source of the Palestine flag and if there was a planned conspiracy or involvement of any organisation, he said.

“These individuals were inspired by Instagram videos showing waving of the Palestine flag by some people and glorifying it. They got the flag prepared from a woman (tailor) by misleading her,” the police officer said.

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