Insult of national symbols can’t  be tolerated at all: Shiv Sena

Jammu: Shiv Sena (UBT) state unit leaders have strongly reacted to the incident of damaging the national symbol ‘Ashoka Pillar’ and creating a ruckus on the occasion of Eid-e-Milan (Friday, 5 September) at the famous Hazratbal Dargah of Kashmir and have condemned it and demanded strict legal action.

While talking to the media persons at the party’s state central office, state chief Manish Sahni said that damaging the national symbols is a serious, condemnable, unacceptable criminal act. The National Honor Insult Prevention Act, 1971 provides for a punishment of up to three years of imprisonment or a fine for acts like burning, defacing, or disrespecting national symbols in public.

He said that we are not in favour of hurting the religious sentiments of any religion. But no religion teaches violence. It is unfortunate that even today, some fundamentalist and separatist leaders in Kashmir are sowing the seeds of hatred against the nation in the hearts of the young generation under the guise of religion. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered separatism and terrorism for the last almost three and a half decades.  As soon as the situation starts becoming normal, the spark of separatism and fundamentalism is ignited. Sahni said that the Jammu and Kashmir Police is under the Central Government and the Lieutenant Governor. Before this spark flares up further and political parties make a living out of it, the police should take immediate action and identify those who insulted and damaged the national symbol and take appropriate and strict legal action against them.

Sahni, while expressing his reaction to the dispute between the elected government and the Lieutenant Governor regarding the holiday of Eid-e-Milan, has advocated taking care of the religious sentiments of all religions. On this occasion, Meenakshi Chhibber (President, Mehila Wing), Vikas Bakshi (Gen. Secretary), and Sanjeev Kohli (Working President) were present.