Fact Check: Was Jinnah Tower painted in tricolor on the instructions of Amit Shah?
Social media users are sharing a post claiming that there was a ban on the unfurling of the national flag at Jinnah Tower in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 7 Feb 2022 6:33 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Social media users are sharing a post claiming that there was a ban on the unfurling of the national flag at Jinnah Tower in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.
Users said the tower was painted in tricolor on the orders of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
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"Jinnah Tower, Andhra Guntur. Police beat and arrested a person who tried to hoist the Indian National Flag last January 26. The matter was brought to the notice of Amit Shah. As a result, the tower was painted in tricolor yesterday," reads the English translation of the post.
Fact Check:
The claim is false.
With the help of relevant keyword searches, we found several media reports on the entire political showdown surrounding the Jinnah Tower.
" After Hindu Vahini members were detained for attempting to unfurl the Indian flag at Jinnah Centre in Andhra's Guntur on January 26, a YSRCP MLA organized an effort to paint the tower in the colors of the National Flag," India Today reported.
Jinnah Tower Centre is the most prominent landmark in Guntur. Located at Mahatma Gandhi Road, there has been a huge political controversy concerning the tower and its name.
"Guntur East MLA Mohammad Musthafa Shaik said that the move to paint the tower in the national colors was made following requests from several groups," Newsminute said.
The move to paint the tower in the national colors has come amid repeated demands by the BJP that the YSRCP government rename the tower.
According to OpIndia, on January 26, as the nation celebrated 73rd Republic Day, the Guntur Police used force to prevent people from unfurling tricolor on the tower. They arrested a few and increased the security in the area ensuring no one climbed the tower to hoist the national flag.
Hence, the claim is false.
