59-Year-Old Man Punched For Not Standing During National Anthem

The accused confessed that he had consumed alcohol and was “taken over by patriotic zeal... in the movie”.

The Indian flag. (Photo: iStockPhoto)

A 59-year-old man was allegedly assaulted in a movie theatre in Goregaon, Mumbai, by a drunk man for not standing up when the National Anthem tune was played on screen in a scene of a film, police said on Monday, as reported by Mumbai Mirror.

The incident took place at a theatre in suburban Goregaon on Wednesday evening, they said.

The victim, Amalraj Dasan, was allegedly hit on his face by a person for not standing up while the National Anthem was being played in a scene during the screening of film Dangal.

The particular scene pertained to depiction of winning of a gold medal by daughter of Mahavir Phogat (enacted by Aamir Khan).

The accused, identified as Shirish Madhukar, has been booked under IPC Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to break peace), police said adding that a probe into the matter is on.

A police officer said that Madhukar confessed to cops that he had consumed alcohol before coming for the movie and was “taken over by patriotic zeal that reflected in the movie”.

Dasan said that Madhukar was using foul language and asking people to rise for the national anthem.

I didn’t realise he was demanding that people rise to the national anthem tune. Before I could react, he landed a punch on my cheek. My wife was horrified as I took a few seconds to recover from the blow. By this time, the movie hall’s security managed to pin him down and the cops took him away.

Dasan

Dasan said that he did not know the movie’s plot so he was caught off-guard when the national anthem played. He and his wife appealed to the producers, actors and the Censor Board to let audiences know if the anthem will play in the middle of a film, so they can stand up and avoid untoward instances.

Source: Mumbai Mirror, PTI