As the protests to boycott Chinese products in India grew louder, scores of people burnt the flag of China and an effigy of the president Xi Jinping outside the factory of Chinese smartphone company-Oppo in Greater Noida’s Gautam Buddh Nagar on Saturday, June 20.
The protest was called to encourage boycotting Chinese products in the wake of the Sino-India clash in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley where India lost 20 of its Army personnel on June 15.
After the demonstrations, the district police lodged an FIR against 32 people, including 30 unidentified people, who were a part of the protest in violation of the guidelines imposed on such gatherings due to COVID-19.
Members of farmers’ body Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) and right-wing outfit Hindu Raksha Dal had also participated in the protest.
‘It was an act of cowardice by China against our soldiers. 20 of our soldiers got martyred and others were injured. Hence, to oppose Chinese products, we have burnt effigies of Chinese products and China’s President Xi Jinping. We also set on fire a flag of China, one of the protesters told The New Indian Express.
‘All members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union are ready to fight. There is anger across the country and also among people in Noida. We will burn effigies like this in protest,’ the protester said.
No Indian should buy OPPO phones and the (Indian) government is requested to close down all Chinese companies operating in India so that China can be taught a lesson and thinks twice before attacking our country, the Hindu Rashtra Dal said in a statement.
Videos of the protest went viral on social media which showed the demonstrators wearing masks, however, there was no social distancing went maintained.
On Saturday evening, the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police said it has filed an FIR against Hindu Raksha Dal president Bhupendra Tomar and the group’s district-unit convenor Praveen Kumar.
The duo have been named in the FIR, while 30 others unidentified people have been booked for protesting outside the OPPO company’s gate without any permission amid COVID-19 pandemic, the police said in a statement. The FIR has been lodged at the Ecotech I Police Station under Indian Penal Code section 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by a government official).
The protestors were also booked under IPC sections 279 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) besides the Epidemic Diseases Act, it added.
The Chinese smartphone maker had restarted operations in its Greater Noida factory earlier this month after it remained shut during the initial phase of the COVID-19 lockdown. The factory had just started operations in May but was forced to shut down after six workers had tested positive for the deadly virus.
