Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Oct 29: In an incident which happened at a cinema theatre in the city last week, some members of the audience, who continued to remain seated during the period the national anthem was played, were questioned and warned. It is said that this incident happened at a theatre in Malleshwaram here.
A Kannada actor with some of his supporters took upon those who chose not to stand up in honour of the national anthem. A video clip shared on his Facebook page by a person named Arun Gowda shows the angry actor and others confronting those who remained seated, for disrespecting the national anthem. The video has since been circulated by hundreds on Twitter.
Screengrab from the video
The voice in the video is heard asking the audiences to take a look at those who had no loyalty towards the nation or the national anthem, as they were unable to spare 52 seconds for it. Those who defied the normal practice of standing up in honour of the anthem, besides being termed as Pakistani terrorist, were also told that their refusal to stand up is a sign of arrogance. One of the audiences can also be heard saying that he is surprised to learn that Pakistani is the opposite word for Indian.
It is not clear who said what. Those who remained seated is heard being told by a voice that they had shown intrepid behaviour by their action, although they were standing in Indian soil. At the end of the clip, shouts of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' can be heard.
The police said they are aware of the video doing the rounds but no complaint was filed with them. They opined that it is optional for the people concerned to stand during the playing of national anthem and that the Supreme Court has recently said that playing the national anthem in film theatres before the show is not mandatory.