Republic Day 2022: After 30 Years, Tricolour Hoisted Atop Clock Tower In Srinagar's Lal Chowk

Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi had hoisted the national flag at Lal Chowk in 1992 during the peak of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Artistes Perform During Republic Day Function At Sher-e- Kashmir Cricket Stadium, in Srinagar (Image: PTI/S. Irfan)

New Delhi: As India marked its 73^rd Republic Day, the Tricolour was hoisted on top of the Clock tower in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk on Wednesday, 30 years since the veteran BJP leader, Murli Manohar Joshi did it for the first time.

The locals along with two social activists Sajid Yousuf Shah and Sahil Bashir Bhat, in order to celebrate the Republic Day, had organized the flag hoisting ceremony at the Clock Tower, locally known as Ghanta Ghar.       

With the help of a hydraulic crane elevator, the activists installed the national flag on top of the clock tower while the national anthem played in the background. The young players of Kashmir Martial Arts Academy also took part in the event.

Jammu & Kashmir: The national flag unfurled at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, on #RepublicDay pic.twitter.com/hFdocY4Ekk

— ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2022

“Since Independence, we have only seen Pakistani flags hoisted here and those were Pakistani sponsored elements who wanted to disrupt the peace in the Valley. Since the abrogation of article 370, we can see a lot of changes on the ground. The people were asking what Naya Kashmir means? Today hoisting the national flag on top of the clock tower is what Naya Kashmir stands for. This is what the people of Jammu and Kashmir want. We don’t want any Pakistani flags, we want peace and development,'' said Sahil Bashir Bhat, as quoted in a report by Zee News.

During the event, the participants also danced to patriotic songs as hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel stood guard around the clock tower.

In other parts in the city, thousands of Tricolours were hoisted in several public parks, including the Pratap Park and Iqbal Park, to mark the Republic Day.

This is for the first time that the national flag has been installed in the city in such large numbers.

It is to be noted that senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi had hoisted the national flag at Lal Chowk in 1992 during the peak of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.