Odisha: 'Palestine-Like' Flag At Milad-Un-Nabi Procession Sparks Row

'Palestine-Like' Flag At Odisha: A Milad-un-Nabi procession was briefly stopped in Cuttack on Monday after a man was seen waving a flag, that looked like the Palestinian flag, said the police.

The police said this happened in the Dargah Bazar area of the city.

Videos going viral from Cuttack, Dhamnagar, Jajpur where Islamists are waving Islamic/Palestine flags, replacing Ashoka Chakra on the National flag during Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi celebration.
These incidents show a complete failure of law & order.@CMO_Odisha @MohanMOdisha

— Rajshree Das🇮🇳 (@rajshreenitu) September 16, 2024

"During the procession, a youth was seen with a flag which was looking like the Palestine flag. We have taken away the flag and warned the youth not to do such thing," Additional DCP Anil Mishra said to reporters here.

The procession was momentarily put on hold but resumed when senior police officials spoke to the organizers. The flag was taken away to avoid any controversy, Mishra added.

Flag Seized In Odisha Did Not Match Palestine Flag Design

"The Palestinian flag has three colors and a triangle, but the flag seized by the police had three colors and no triangle, with something written on it. It did not match the exact design of a Palestinian flag," he said. Milad-un-Nabi is the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad.

The day passed quietly all over the state.

Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and opposition leader Naveen Patnaik greeted the state on the occasion.

"Wishing Muslim brothers and sisters all happiness on the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad," Majhi said.

Also Read: Sitapur Floods: 25,000 Stranded As Submerged Fields And Severed Connectivity Worsen Crisis