Hyderabad Police have booked a youth for pulling down the Israeli flag in solidarity with Palestine, hoisted by the Telangana government at Tank Bund as part of the Miss World pageant celebrations in the city.
The SHO of Saifabad Police Station has registered two cases under Crime Numbers 138/2025 and 141/2025 against Mohammed Zakir.
The Hyderabad City Police confirmed his arrest on Saturday, calling the act of removing the national flag a “disrespectful act,” without specifying which national flag was involved.
An investigation into the incident is currently underway, according to the police.
Miss World 2025 will be the 72nd edition of the Miss World pageant, to be held at the HITEX Exhibition Centre in Hyderabad, Telangana, India on 31 May 2025. Ahead of the competition, the government installed flags of participating countries at Tank Bund, Tank Bund, a prominent landmark in Hyderabad.
However, several social media handles have been calling for the removal of the Israeli flag in protest against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Across the globe, widespread protests have erupted against Israel over its Genocide in Gaza, and urging boycotts of Israeli products and companies complicit in the violence.
Since October 2024, Israel has killed at least 53,119 Palestinians and wounded 120,214 others, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
The enclave’s Government Media Office updated the death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.
