Over 10,000 doctors who received the August issue of ‘Medical Image’, a magazine published by the Indian Medical Association (Mumbai West), were left amused to see the Independence Day invite showing the Indian flag with the Ashok Chakra having only six spokes and not 24.
“This is a blunder and appropriate action should be taken against those who insulted the national flag, even though their intention was not so,” a doctor who received the magazine last week told dna.
Another IMA member said, “This shows IMA office-bearers in poor light, suggesting that doctors know nothing about national symbols.”
Violation of the national flag invites penal provisions under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 (No. 69 of 1971), the Flag Code of India, 2002 and the State Emblem of India (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 2005.
While hearing a petition against heart shaped flags two days ago, the Madras High Court had stated that “no one should be spared for insulting the tricolour”.
When contacted, Dr Parthiv Sanghvi, honorary secretary of IMA Mumbai (West), tried to equate the gross violation of the flag with another error that appeared in the magazine.“I proof-read the magazine thrice, despite that an error is left in the timings of another event on August 11,” said Dr Sanghvi, a consultant surgeon in a Juhu hospital. When dna pointed out the difference, he said, “This is just a printing error made by offset printers. This was unintentional and I apologise for that.”
He claimed that ‘Medical Image’ is for internal circulation and only 3,500 copies were published.
Specifics of the national flag
The Flag Code of India, 2002 says that the national flag shall be a tri-colour panel made up of three rectangular sub-panels of equal widths. The colour of the top panel shall be saffron (kesari) and that of the bottom panel shall be green. The middle panel shall be white, bearing at its centre Ashoka Chakra in navy blue colour with 24 equally spaced spokes.
What the Ashok Chakra signifies
The Ashoka Chakra is the wheel of the law of dharma. Truth or satya, dharma or virtue ought to be the controlling principles of those who work under this flag. Again, the wheel denotes motion. There is death in stagnation. There is life in movement. India should no more resist change, it must move and go forward. The wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change.
Penal provisions for violations
The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 (Amended in 2003) says whoever in any public place or in public view burns, mutilates, defaces, defiles, disfigures, destroys, tramples upon or otherwise shows disrespect to or brings into contempt (whether by words, or by acts) the Indian Natio-nal Flag or any part thereof, shall be puni-shed with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.
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