Pakistani Flag Hoisting was a Hindutva Plot to Foment Strife, Police Say PRADEEPKUMAR KADKOL With the arrest

of another Hindutva activist on Tuesday in connection with the h oisting of a Pakistani flag in front of the Tahsildar office at Sindagi in Karna taka on January 1, the number of persons held by the police for what they believ e was a plot to foment communal strife has increased to seven. The arrested are members of Sri Ram Sene, a pro-Hindutva outfit. According to th e police, they allegedly hoisted the Pakistani flag and then blamed it on the to wn's Muslim community. The accused were shifted to the Bellary district prison o n Sunday morning as other inmates of the Bijapur district jail allegedly attacke d them for being involved in anti-national activities. Rakesh Math, the prime accused, was seriously injured in the fracas, and the rem aining sustained minor injuries. Meanwhile, members of the district unit of Sri Ram Sene have said the accused do not belong to their outfit but are members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( RSS). At a press conference here, they released several pictures to prove their point, alleging that the police had been pressured not to drag the name of the RSS int o the issue. Well-placed police sources, however, told The Hindu that the entire incident was carried out at the behest of an elected representative of the BJP, whose politi cal agenda was to foment communal disturbances in the district. The sources adde d that the elected representative had instructed his supporters to destroy all e vidence of his involvement, including photographs of the protesters and the bann ers of the organisation. The Pakistani flag was hoisted in the early hours of January 1. Later in the mor ning, the accused, led by Rakesh Math, organised a protest in front of the Tahsi ldar's office, alleging that the Muslim community was behind the incident. The p rotesters blocked the road and hurled stones at buses before the police enforced order. The police then formed a special team to investigate the matter. It concluded that the Sri Ram Sene activists who organised the protests were beh ind the incident. They arrested the six ringleaders on January 3 under various s ections of the Indian Penal Code for sedition and inciting communal disturbance. As a precautionary measure, the district administration has banned rallies, prot ests and dharnas in connection with the issue. Keywords: Pakistan flag hoisting incident, Hindutva activist arrest, Sindagi Tah sildar office, Sri Ram Sene http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2790960.ece