Srinagar tense as residents thrash non-local man who attempted to hoist tricolour at Lal Chowk

Srinagar has been put on high alert on the eve of India’s Independence Day as a scuffle broke out between locals and a non-Jammu and Kashmir resident when he made an attempt to raise the tricolour at Lal Chowk earlier on Tuesday. The man was allegedly thrashed by locals at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk when he was trying to unfurl Indian flag at Clock Tower and was later rescued by CRPF and police, reported ANI. [caption id=“attachment_4964001” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Getty Images[/caption] According to India Today, sources from the Jammu and Kashmir Police said that the non-local, whose identity has not been revealed, tried to hoist the tricolour at the Lal Chowk in Srinagar and it has resulted in tension in the area. Locals objected to the act, raised slogans and two people were arrested in the resulting scuffle. The man is now in police custody. Before police arrested the man, there was a chaos at Lal Chowk as people began to raise pro-freedom slogans and pro-Zakir Musa slogans, reported CNN News18. Last year six activists of the Shiv Sena were detained in Srinagar as police thwarted their bid to hoist a tricolour at Lal Chowk. The Shiv Sena activists arrived at Ghanta Ghar (Clock Tower) in two vehicles and were taken into preventive custody as soon as they alighted, a police official said. The detained activists were taken to the Kothibagh police station where they were released after completing legal formalities. With inputs from agencies.