Bullied for Not Standing for Anthem: Is This Our Idea of India?

This family was booed out of a theatre for allegedly not standing up for the national anthem.

Is this the India that you’re proud of? Or does this ugly incident at a theatre screening of Tamasha remind you of times, for example in communist Russia, when mobs and neighbours preyed and informed on each other?

A video has surfaced which purportedly shows a family being asked to leave a theatre for not standing up during the national anthem. The Quint cannot independently verify what really happened, but here’s what can be gleaned from the video:

A crowd of people inside the theatre is shouting at some people. They are led by a bald man who leans over in an intimidating fashion and says, “Chup! Thhappad martaa hoo main. Thhappad marta hoo main. (Shut up! I’ll slap you. I’m going to slap you.)” He is joined by other people in the theatre. The audio of those at the receiving end of this violence is unclear, but at one point, someone is heard saying, “Meri marzi hain. (It’s my wish.)”

Here’s What We Know About the Video

According to various media reports, several members of the crowd were outraged when the family did not stand up during the playing of the national anthem before the movie. They bullied the family until they got up to leave the theatre. Their exit was greeted by applause and wolf-whistles. A majority of the crowd, however, chose to remain silent.

DNA reports that the incident took place either at a theatre in Mumbai or Bangalore. There are several questions about this incident that are difficult to verify, such as: Was this really a ruckus over the national anthem? Where did it happen? And, did no one else in the crowd stand up for the family? Also, who really was breaking the law during the incident?

What the Law Says

The law on the national anthem prohibits disrespect but does not lay down any particular ways of showing reverence. Further, it is only in Maharashtra that the government has made it mandatory to screen the national anthem at the start of every movie. But the rules do not say that an individual must stand up or in the case that s/he doesn’t, that s/he would be liable for prosecution.

What is illegal, however, is threatening to physically cause harm to a person, which is what the bald gentlemen is seen doing in the video.

Of course, the incident did not go unnoticed on Twitter, where people speculated freely.

Standing up for the National Anthem is like touching feet of elders, the Law doesn't force you, but you still do it out of respect/tradition

— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) November 30, 2015

But if I miss out on touching feet of my elders, my people might look down upon me, but nobody can beat me up.

— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) November 30, 2015

I love singing my National Anthem. But I don't like being forced to sing it before a film. That's a mild kind of fascism isn't it.

— Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) November 30, 2015

@gauravkapur Why not sing it because it makes someone else happy! Spread some happiness and enjoy the movie :)

— Chaitanya Prabhu (@ChaaiP) November 30, 2015

Whose utterly foolish idea was it to have the national anthem played in movie halls? This is the kind of thing Orwell would write about.

— Siddharth Singh (@siddharth3) November 30, 2015