Probe After Flag Fiasco At Mehbooba Mufti's Independence Day Function

Srinagar: A police inquiry has been ordered in Jammu and Kashmir after the national flag fell to the ground when chief minister Mehbooba Mufti tried to unfurl it in a stadium in Srinagar on Independence Day today.

Instead of unfurling, the flag fell as soon as the Chief Minister pulled at the rope. Police officials rushed to the stage to fix it back up.

The incident was seen as an embarrassment for Ms Mufti, who took the occasion to speak about the unrest that has gripped the state over the last month after the killing of 22-year-old terrorist Burhan Wani.

"The Director General of Police has ordered a high-level inquiry. Special DG will hold the inquiry into the incident," said L Mohanti, a senior police officer.
 Sources said Ms Mufti was very angry over the incident and she has asked for strict action against police officials responsible for the arrangements at Independence Day function.

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took a swipe at Ms Mufti over the incident on Twitter.

Now @MehboobaMufti will have to find someone to blame for failing to hoist the flag in Srinagar since nothing is ever her fault.

- Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) August 15, 2016

In her address, the Chief Minister called for peace in the valley, reiterating that dialogue and not guns that can help the people of Kashmir.

Blaming the political leadership for the current problems, she expressed hope that the Narendra Modi government will follow former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's vision for the state.

The opposition parties however boycotted the Independence Day function in Srinagar. No leader from National Conference or the Congress attended programme.