india

Updated: Aug 25, 2017 18:05 IST

Police have started investigation after local shopkeepers in Uttarakhand’s Almora said they had been delivered shoes in boxes bearing the Tricolour, allegedly from China.

The boxes have the Tricolour on top and the base carries some letters in Mandarin, police said, triggering speculation among locals that the move was aimed at humiliating Indians amid a tense standoff between the two countries at Doklam.

Almora Senior Superintendent of Police P Renuka Devi said putting the shoes in boxes with the national flag was an insult to the Tricolour and that they were investigating the matter.

Udham Singh Nagar Senior Superintendent of Police Sadanand Date said the police questioned the owner of Tammana Traders in Rudrapur, who said that he bought the shoes from a distributor in Delhi and did not know their place of origin. “We would be questioning the dealer in New Delhi to ascertain the origin of these shoes”, said the SSP.

But the discovery of the boxes has sent the local population into a tizzy.

The case has been filed by the shopkeepers Bishan Bora against the shoe supplier of Rudrapur. Bora claimed as soon as he opened the consignment he found only seven seven shoe pair in proper box and rest of the pairs came in the tricolur box.

“I received the goods on Thursday and when I opened the bags, I was shocked. I called the police, sensing something wrong,” said shopkeeper Bishan Bora, who filed the initial complaint.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) district president of Almora Lalit Latwal asserted the administration swung into action after he intervened. “As soon I received information about the consignment I immediately requested administration to forfeit the boxes and act against those who are involved in insulting Indian flag. It looks like a bigger conspiracy. The party workers will keep an eye on the case until those culprits are not arrested” Latwal said.

(with inputs from Anupam Trivedi)