Kerala delegate’s refusal to stand up for the National Anthem leads to fracas at the Bengaluru film festival.

A delegate from Kerala was evacuated from a cinema hall on Saturday night for refusing to stand up when the National Anthem was played at one of the shows of the ongoing 9th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES).

There was commotion for some time because of the heated argument between the delegate and organisers.

The delegate refused to stand up when the National Anthem was played during the screening of Train Driver’s Diary by Serbia’s Milos Radovic. The screening commenced an hour late when organisers succeeded in sending the delegate out of the hall, acceding to the objections raised by some in the audience.

According to eye witnesses, the delegate had said that he had stood up for the National Anthem before every show since the morning. “I have stood up four times for the anthem so far and cannot stand again one more time. How many times in a day does an Indian have to prove his patriotism? Is patriotism a thing of exhibition?” he had argued.

The orgainsers, citing the recent Supreme Court verdict, told him to follow the law. When they failed to convince him he was asked to leave the venue. The identity of the delegate is not known.

According to sources, a journalist and writer also refused to stand up when the National Anthem was played on Saturday during one of the shows. But that did not lead to any arguments.