Amid tight security, tricolour hoisted at Chamarajpet Idgah Maidan in Bengaluru
Bengaluru(PTI): The national flag was on Monday hoisted for the "first time" at the Idgah Maidan in Chamarajet here, whose ownership had run into controversy.
The event was held under tight security with Rapid Action Force (RAF), City Armed Reserve (CAR), and Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) platoons deployed in and around the venue.
With several groups recently announcing that they will hoist the national flag at the Idgah Maidan on Independence Day, the state government had recently decided that a Revenue Department official of the rank of Assistant Commissioner will be hoisting the tricolour.
Revenue Minister R Ashoka, who had visited Idgah Maidan on Sunday to take stock of the arrangements, had said for 75 years the flag was not hoisted there, and that the state government has now taken a firm decision in this regard.
Assistant Commissioner M G Shivanna hoisted the tricolour, which was attended by Member of Parliament P C Mohan, MLA B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, Additional Commissioner of Police Sandeep Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police Laxman B Nimbargi were among those present.
Following the hoisting of the tricolour and the singing of the national anthem, "Bharat Mata Ki Jai '' slogans reverberated in the area.
The public witnessed the event that went on peacefully, which also saw cultural programmes performed by students of Chamarajpet Government School.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city civic body, had recently dismissed the petition filed by the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf for a 'khata' (document which identifies the ownership of a property) in its favour for the communally-sensitive Idgah Maidan, and had declared the Karnataka government's Revenue Department to be the default owner of the land.
Following the BBMP order, several Hindu organisations had announced that they will celebrate Independence Day on the ground.
Also, local Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan too had announced that they will go ahead and hoist the tricolour on the ground.
The decades-old dispute over Idgah Maidan had once again come to fore earlier this year, when some Hindu outfits sought BBMP's permission to hold events at the place.
This resulted in two contrary sets of documents emerging, as the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf presented a 1965 gazette notifying the land as Wakf property, while the 1974 City Survey records and all other civic records thereafter showed the land to be a playground.
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China confirms its support to Pakistan during four-day conflict with India
Beijing (PTI): China, for the first time, has confirmed that it provided on-site technical support to Pakistan during the four-day conflict with India last year, official media reports here said.
China's state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday aired an interview with Zhang Heng, an engineer from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's (AVIC) Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a key developer of China’s advanced fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle design.
Zhang had provided technical support to Pakistan during the four-day war last May, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported, quoting CCTV.
Pakistan's air force operates a fleet of Chinese-made J-10CE jets, produced by an AVIC subsidiary.
"At the support base, we frequently heard the roar of fighter jets taking off and the constant wail of air-raid sirens. By late morning, in May, the temperature was already approaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). It was a real ordeal for us, both mentally and physically,” Zhang said.
What drove his team was the "desire to do an even better job with on site support” and to ensure their equipment could “truly perform at its full combat potential”, Zhang told CCTV.
“That wasn’t just a recognition of the J10CE; it was also a testament to the deep bond we formed through working side by side, day in and day out,” he said.
