“Citizens must respect the national anthem and flag,” the bench had said. It added that the anthem should “not be printed on undesirable objects or be displayed in such a manner and at such places which may be disgraceful to its status and may tantamount to disrespect”.

The order had led to several incidents of violence and arrests across the country, which prompted the court to issue new guidelines on January 25. The bench had also called for the public to be sensitised so that they can avoid “any unwarranted incident against” mental health patients.

According to the Centre’s guidelines, “The public is required to be sensitised so as to avoid any unwarranted incident against persons with intellectual disabilities and they are not being harassed.”

Besides this, they have also said that people with “locomotor disabilities” will have to position themselves “to the extent of maximum attentiveness and alertness” during the anthem. They will be allowed to use the help of appropriate aids and appliances to do so, according to the rules.

“If the person with [a] disability is on [a] crutch, he/she should become stable to the extent of maximum alertness.” It also says, “Persons with hearing disabilities [deaf or hard of hearing] shall stand with attentiveness” and that “persons with blindness and low vision” should stand up for the anthem. The guidelines also make it mandatory for visually impaired people and the escorts of those with disabilities to stand up during the national anthem.

Shyam Narayan Chouski, who runs a non-governmental organisation in Bhopal had filed a petition seeking directions and protocol on playing the anthem in movie halls before a film is screened. On October 31, the court had asked the Centre to specify what would constitute disrespect to the anthem and its abuse.

 

Three people including a woman senior citizen were roughed up by a mob in Chennai on Wednesday for not standing up for the National Anthem at the Chennai International Film Festival. The incident took place at around 12 noon at Palazzo Cinemas in Vadapalani.

Image: Palazzo at Forum mall/ Lifeandtrendz.com

Shreela, her 60-year-old mother Subhashri and Bijon, a graduate were arrested by the Chennai police and booked under Section 3 of The Prevention of Insults to National Honour.  They were later released by the police.

Eye-witnesses say that the commotion began when the National Anthem was being played ahead of the screening of Bulgarian film Glory. The three allegedly refused to stand up for the national anthem. Agitated by this, the organizers and the audience allegedly attacked the three, said reporters who had attended the film festival. They also stated that the mob, who roughed up the three people, consisted of more than 30 people while the organisers called the police.  

Speaking to The News Minute following her release, Shreela said, "My mother and I did not stand up for the National Anthem as my mother is old and I did not because of my principles. Some people began assaulting the other student, who was sitting next to us, they abused him and tried to drag him out of the hall." While she said many in the audience supported them, she added, "They started playing the movie but some people left the hall after getting angry. The people who went out, they called the police."

When the police arrived at the cinema hall, some members in the audience pointed the three of them out, she said. Shreela, who is a member of an organisation called CPI(ML) RESIST, explained that she did not stand up owing to her principles.

She, however, observed that both volunteers of the Chennai International Film Festival and audience members had manhandled Bijon.  

The incident in Chennai, however, isn’t the first such case of a scuffle breaking out at a theatre.

Days after the Supreme Court directed cinema halls across the country to play the National Anthem before the commencement of films, seven people were allegedly assaulted by a group in Chennai's Kasi Theatre on December 11, 2016, after they refused to stand up for the National Anthem.

Sreela was among the seven members of RESIST assaulted at Kasi Theatre. 

On December 12, 2016 eleven people were arrested (and later released on bail) for not standing up during the National Anthem which was played before the screening of a film at International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram. This included three journalists who were at IFFK to watch the night screening of a movie.

The Supreme Court had on November 30 ordered ordered all cinema halls across the country to play the national anthem before the screening of films. The court said the practice would "instill a feeling within one a sense of committed patriotism and nationalism."

Courtesy: The News Minute