New Delhi. Amazon on Monday faced the ire of a section of Indian social media users for allegedly insulting the Indian flag. Amazon has faced criticism from a section of Indian social media users for selling certain products, including apparel and food items, that have images of the Indian flag. Some of them said that using the tricolor in this way was an insult and violation of the flag code of the country.
Social media users shared pictures of items such as apparel, cups, keychains and chocolates on Amazon’s website that have the tricolour’s images or imprints on them and demanded a ban on these items.
Amazon did not respond to email queries seeking feedback. Some social media users said that using the tricolor on the products is against the Flag Code of India, 2002. A section of social media users said such use was an insult to the national flag, while others said it was a cheap way to increase sales and would not increase the patriotism of Indian citizens.
According to the code, “the flag shall not be used as part of any dress or uniform. It shall not be printed on pillows, handkerchiefs, napkins or boxes.”
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that Amazon is facing such outrage. In 2017, Amazon had to remove Indian flag ‘doormats’ listed on its Canadian website following strong protests from India. (agency)