Guwahati:Assam police on Saturday arrested the principal of a missionary school for not hoisting the national flag in the school on Independence Day and defying the order of the state government to observe mourning following the death of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in central Assam’s Morigaon district.
The police here on Saturday said that police arrested James Xavier, principal of Saint Eugene School on Friday in a village about 8 kilometres from the district headquarters Morigaon, after complaints that the school did not have the flag hoisting ceremony on Independence Day.
Pointing out that residents of the area lodged complains with the police after principal of the school refused to pay any heed to the state government’s directives to declare holiday on Friday and observe national mourning, police said that residents of the area lodged complaints against the school. “We received complaints from general public that no flag was hoisted,” said Mrinmoy Goswami, deputy superintendent of police, Morigaon. Saint Eugene, a missionary-run school from kindergarten to class six, has about 300 students. A case was registered under Section 2 of the Prevention of Insult to National Honour (Amendment) Act 2005. However, since it is a bailable offence, the 34-year-old principal was released on bail.
“It looked deliberate. It is also an insult to the nation. All the educational institutions have to hoist the national flag on Independence Day,” said Mr Goswami.
However, principal of the school claimed that it was his mistake not to hoist national flag and ignore the directive of the state government.
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