A Milad-un-Nabi procession in Kakinada on September 5 stirred controversy after participants were reported to be carrying Palestinian flags. The incident has raised sharp concerns over questions of loyalty and national unity.
The rally, which began at Jagannathapuram and moved towards Bhanugudi Circle, saw hundreds of Muslim participants. Locals in Kakinada strongly condemned the act, saying that the display of foreign flags at Bhanugudi Junction during a religious festival was a dangerous signal and an affront to national interests.
They further pointed out that participants sitting atop cars and parading with such flags on busy roads was a shameful display, one that disrespected both public order and civic responsibility.
Along with the Palestinian flag, another banner was waved that combined distinct Islamic symbols — a red section with crescent and star resembling the Turkish flag, a green dome symbolising the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, and a green stripe inscribed with the Shahada similar to the Saudi Arabian flag.
కాకినాడలో అంటున్నారు..
మిలాదున్ నబీకి, పాలస్తీనాకి ఏంటి సంబంధంఊరేగింపులో పాలస్తీనా జెండాలెందుకు?@PawanKalyan @naralokesh గారూ ఇది చూశారా? మీ దృష్టికొచ్చిందా? pic.twitter.com/Xzdlc4MgD2
— Devika Journalist (@DevikaRani81) September 5, 2025
On August 7, Communist parties and Muslim groups, joined by hundreds of students, held a pro-Palestine rally in Khamma, a town in Telangana. Critics condemned the political use of minors, while the NHRC sought a probe into alleged child rights violations.
Historically, this is not the first time that some Muslim radical elements showing their allegiance to Islamic flags. In 2024, In Karnataka, multiple towns like Chitradurga, Davanagere, and Kolar witnessed unrest when Palestinian flags were displayed during Milad-ul-Nabi processions, prompting police seizures and urging for deeper investigations.
In June 2025, In Kochi, Kerala, a Pakistan flag displayed during a prayer meeting triggered an FIR under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act.
In July 2025, police in Agra arrested a man for waving a Palestinian flag during a Muharram procession, underscoring that such displays remain highly sensitive and continue to draw legal action in 2025.
In September 2024, a procession in Cuttack, Odisha, was halted when a youth was seen waving a flag resembling Palestine’s. The police seized the flag, noting its design did not fully match the actual Palestinian flag.
These incidents are neither isolated nor mere acts of individual adventurism. The recurring pattern points to a systematic attempt to defy the law and test the resolve of the government machinery. When faced with a strong response, the strategy shifts to playing the victim card, invoking minority rights, secularism, and religious sentiments. This has now become a standard template of violating the law in full public view. Locals in Kakinada have demanded strict punishment not only for the culprits but also for the organisers of the event, warning that unchecked leniency will only embolden more aggressive attempts in the future.
