Head master Shafaq Iqbal arrested for using national flag to clean blackboard

Villagers have alleged that Iqbal had earlier restricted students from performing Saraswati Puja in the school.

Ranchi, Dec 10: The headmaster of a school, Shafaq Iqbal, has been arrested for cutting the Indian national flag into parts and using it to clean the chair, desk and blackboard. The incident is reported from the East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.

Iqbal is the headmaster of Board Middle School located in Ghatshila. After the word spread about him showing such utter disrespect for the Tricolour, the villagers laid a siege to the school on Thursday, a news agency reported. Sources have informed that he did the act during an ongoing class.

A large number of people gathered in front of the schools after the students informed their parents about the incident. According to the villagers, the headmaster had earlier restricted students from performing Saraswati Puja in the school.

Upon coming to know about the incident, Block Education Extension Officer Subodh Rai and Executive Magistrate Keshav Bharti reached the spot along with the police. The Education Department initiated action against the headmaster for disrespecting the Tricolour and removed him from his post.

During investigation, Iqbal claimed that the rats bit the flag due to which he committed the act and was unaware of his action being a crime. The police have also recovered the damaged Tricolour.

He was arrested on Thursday under Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, said Ghatsila police station officer-in-charge Sambhu Kumar Gupta.When produced before the court, he was sent to jail, the officer said.

Man kills cousin for land, kin and friends; nabbed

In a bid to grab land, a man from Jharkhand's Khunti district abducted his cousin and killed him along with his family and friends. During the investigation, the police detained the deceased Kanu's cousin, Sagar Munda, for questioning. He and his wife, as well as friends, confessed to the murder, the sources further informed.