Tricolour upside down on Viksit Bharat banners, printer booked

An offence has been registered against a contractor for allegedly printing the tricolour upside down on banners that served as a backdrop for an event organised in Maharashtra's Thane district to view Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with beneficiaries of Viksit Bharat Sankalpa Yatra, police said on Monday.

The banners were displayed on the stage during the programme held on the premises of Kalher gram panchayat in Bhiwandi on December 9, an official said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the block development officer of Bhiwandi, an offence under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, has been registered against the contractor, the official from Narpoli police station said.

A probe is underway, and no arrest has been made so far, he said.

The contractor was asked to print banners for the programme organised by the Thane Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti, the official said.

Instead of printing the sample of the background provided by the authorities, he allegedly printed the tricolour upside down, he said.

Union Minister of State Kapil Patil, Thane Guardian Minister Shamburaj Desai and Collector Ashok Shingare, among other dignitaries, were present for the event, it was stated.