Aligarh student 'forced to urinate' on Pakistan flag during Pahalgam protest

Pic source: Instagram

A 15-year-old student in Aligarh was allegedly assaulted by a group of men on Monday after he picked up a Pakistan flag placed on the road during a protest against the recent Pahalgam terror attack, police officials said.

The students, studying in Class 9, was returning home from school when he encountered the protest near the Rasoolganj area. According to the police, the flag, which had “Pakistan Murdabad” written on it, was pasted on the roads and the walls by right-wing groups who had called for a bandh in the city. The student allegedly picked up the flag from the road, which led to the heated altercation between the boy and the protesters.

In the video, which has now gone viral on social media, the boy is seen being surrounded, pushed, and verbally abused by several men. He is then forced to place the flag back on the road, urinate on it, and chant slogans such as “Hindustan Zindabad” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai.” Another clip shows the boy being dragged by the collar and coerced into apologising with folded hands.

Some local residents claimed that the police officers were present but did not intervene. However, the police said an investigation has been initiated, TOI reported

Banna Devi Police Station SHO Pankaj Kumar Misra confirmed that the boy was returning from school with friends when he picked up the flag. “The group of protesters asked him to put the flag back. They then allegedly asked him what he could do in solidarity with the protest and told him to urinate on the flag,” he said. “We’ve taken cognisance of the matter. We have reached out to the family and asked them to file a complaint,” Misra said.

Circle Officer Rajiv Dwivedi said the incident occurred between 11.00 and 11.30 am on Monday. The boy, whose father is a daily-wage labourer, later told locals that he was unaware of what the protest was about. “I was just walking home with my friends. They pointed out something on the road, and I picked it up. That’s when they targeted me,” he said.

Police are examining the widely circulated video and have assured action once a complaint is formally registered.