Indian flag falls off post as Mehbooba Mufti unfurls it in Srinagar

Security officials held the flag in their hands till chief minister IOK gave a ceremonial salute

A flag hoisting ceremony in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) turned into an embarrassment as the Indian tricolour fell off the post just as Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti hoisted it in Srinagar to celebrate India's independence day.

India's national flag fell on the ground as soon as Mufti pulled the string attached to the post, first time as chief minister of IoK, The Indian Express reported.



However, security personnel present at the ceremony saved the situation. According to media reports, two security officials held the flag in their hands till Mufti gave the ceremonial salute following which it was  hoisted once again atop the post.



Mufti became the state’s first woman chief minister after her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, former IoK chief minister and one of the country’s best-known Muslim politicians passed away in January. The 79-year-old's party was in a controversial coalition with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party in the Himalayan region, when he was succeeded as chief minister by his daughter. Sayeed died in hospital in New Delhi after being admitted on December 24 suffering from a respiratory illness, a hospital official told AFP.

This article originally appeared on The Indian Express.