Pakistan flag stickers stir outrage outside Mumbai stations

Representation pic

Reading the angry public mindset post Pahalgam attacks, a Mumbai organisation called Ankush Foundation, a registered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), had, with several supporters and allies, pasted several Pakistan flag stickers in public spaces, on Sunday afternoon. The sticker's tagline read: ‘Step on it.' The stickers were pasted on to the floor. The Foundation's spokespersons said, "We started on Sunday afternoon. We pasted stickers near Bandra, Khar, Santacruz and Vile Parle stations. We wanted to paste these in high-footfall spaces. There were some outside ‘Sulabh Shauchalayas' (public toilets) too."

They claimed they had the most significant support at Vile Parle, "Where even the rickshawwallahs were helping to paste these." When this reporter visited the site on Monday, the stickers had disappeared by early afternoon. A number of rickshaw regulars who ply from the station said, "Some persons were putting stickers on Sunday. They had a lot of support. Now these have been removed." Yet late Monday afternoon, the same foundation re-pasted the stickers with volunteers showering flower petals on supporters showing gratitude for their support.

Describing the stickers as high-quality, coated, weather-resistant stickers, the spokespersons said that, "It was challenging finding printers to make these stickers. Many printers did not want to make them, till we found, let us just call him: ‘a patriotic printer'. We have 10,000 stickers as a pilot run, and given the overwhelming public support, we're scaling up production."

Asked whether this is an apt civilian response to the Pahalgam terror attack, the Foundation spokespersons stated, "Our action was a symbolic trigger - an experiment. The way citizens responded by joining in proves the pulse of the nation is alive. The government is doing its job, yet governance alone cannot root out the enemy within. Citizens must rise, call out and isolate internal threats without fear or apology." Ankush Foundation added, "The distribution of these stickers has begun across Mumbai. This is a patriotic contribution: free for every Indian with a spine," they signed off.