Fact Check: Protesting farmers did not remove Indian Flag at Red Fort
claim that the farmers have removed the National flag from the flag post and unfurled their flag....
By Satya Priya BN Published on 26 Jan 2021 12:52 PM GMT
Hyderabad: Thousands of farmers who had reached the Capital with their tractors started their protest against the Centre's farm laws immediately after the Republic Day celebrations at the Red Fort ended.
The protesting farmers deviated from the previously designated routes and entered the Red Fort. Even though the police requested them not to take law into their hands, the protesting farmers entered the Red Fort and unfurled a flag belonging to their group.
This news is spread like wildfire and some social media users shared it with the claim that the farmers have removed the National flag from the flag post and unfurled their flag.
Fact Check:
The viral claim is MISLEADING.
The protesting farmers did not unfurl their own flag after removing the Indian Tricolour. NewsMeter found several video clips in the media which showed the National flag still flying on the Red Fort during the protest.
According to reports, the flag that was unfurled by the farmers is a saffron-coloured Nishan Sahib.
The Nishan Sahib is a holy triangular flag of the Sikhs made of cotton or silk with a tassel at its end. The word, Nishan means symbol, and the flag was hoisted on a tall flagpole, outside most Gurdwaras just like at the Gurdwara Singh Sabha of Michigan. The flagpole itself is covered with a fabric and ends with a two-edged dagger (khanda) on top. The emblem on the flag depicts a double-edged sword called a khanda (☬) at the center a chakkar which is circular and is flanked by two single-edged swords or kirpans.
This flag is nowhere related to the Khalistan flag as some of the social media users had claimed.
http://www.singhsabhaofmi.org/
This flag was unfurled by the protestors on a flag post which is usually empty.
Here is another report that showed the pictures of the Red Fort after the incident.
Therefore, though it is true that the protesting farmers entered the Red Fort and unfurled a Nishan Sahib flag, they did not remove the Indian flag. Hence, the claim is MISLEADING.
