Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Mehbooba Mufti's Upside-Down Tiranga Protest Sparks Kashmir Flag Row
Mehbooba Mufti is the leader of a political party called the PDP in India.
She was unhappy about a big government change called the removal of Article 370.
That change affected the special rights of the region where she lives.
To show her anger, she sat outside her office in Srinagar with other people.
This is called a sit-in protest.
During the protest, she held the Indian national flag upside down.
The flag was taped together with the old local flag, which is no longer in use.
Photos of the protest spread quickly online and lots of people saw them.
Some people think it was a mistake, while others think she did it on purpose.
The upside-down flag caused a big argument about respect for the national flag.
Mehbooba Mufti, chief of the PDP, led a sit-in protest outside her party office in Srinagar against the abrogation of Article 370.
Photographs of the demonstration went viral, drawing attention to the protest.
Mufti held the Indian national flag (Tiranga) upside down during the sit-in.
The national flag was taped together with the defunct state flag.
The article claims the gesture was either deliberate or an act of incompetence, dismissing the possibility of an accident.
- Who
- Mehbooba Mufti, chief of the People's Democratic Party (PDP)
- What
- Led a sit-in protest while holding the Indian national flag upside down, taped to the defunct state flag
- When
- About two weeks after the abrogation of Article 370
- Where
- Outside her party office in Srinagar
- Why
- In protest against the abrogation of Article 370
Accident Camp
Intent Camp
Meaning of the upside-down flag
Accident Camp
Those giving benefit of the doubt say holding the flag upside down could have been an accidental faux pas.
Intent Camp
Critics say the gesture was deliberate because the national flag was taped to the defunct state flag and held by Mufti herself, making her either complicit or incompetent.
- Protest leader
- Mehbooba Mufti
- Party
- People's Democratic Party (PDP)
- Location
- Outside her party office in Srinagar
- Cause
- Abrogation of Article 370
- Key incident
- Indian national flag held upside down, taped to the defunct state flag
- Timing
- About two weeks after the abrogation of Article 370
- Public reaction
- Photos of the protest went viral