'NATIONAL ANTHEM FORCED @ GUNPOINT'

PDP President Mehbooba Mufti has accused the BJP of coercing Kashmiris into standing for the national anthem, alleging that it is being enforced "at gunpoint." Her remarks came after around fifteen spectators were arrested at the TRC football ground during the Police Martyrs Football Tournament on Tuesday evening for not standing while the anthem was played.

- M Saleem Pandit

The event, held at the Synthetic Turf Football Ground and attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, featured a live band performance of the anthem. According to sources, police from the Kothibagh station detained the individuals who remained seated. Families of those detained, however, maintained it was a misunderstanding rather than deliberate disrespect. One parent explained that the anthem was not clearly audible from their seats, w