A violent clash erupted between police and the agitating farmers on January 26, in Delhi during the ‘Kisan Gantantra Parade’.Several protesters stormed the Red Fort and hoisted a flag. 

Amid this, a claim went viral on social media that the flag that was waved at the Red Fort was a “Khalistani” one.

Film Critic, Sumit Kadel quote tweeted a video report by ANI with the caption saying, "Khalistani Flag hoisted on Red Fort. BlACK DAY FOR INDIA .."

Another verified Twitter account ‘Pakistan First’ also shared images of the Red Fort with the same claim.

Several other users are sharing the images with the same claim. 

The truth behind the claim

In our investigation, we found this claim to be false. The flag that was waived by the protestors at Red Fort was not a Khalistani flag but the Nishan Sahib, a religious flag of Sikhs. The ‘khanda’ (two-edged dagger) symbol seen on the flag belongs to Nishan Sahib, while Khalistani flags also have ‘Khalistan’ written on them.

On Zooming in the flag in the ANI video, visual comparison establishes that none of the two flags were Khalistan flags.

The emblem seen on the flags has a ‘khanda’ printed on it. ‘None of the flags had Khalistan written on it.  Khanda’ is an emblem used in Sikhism, which comprises a double-edged sword, chakra, and two single-edged swords. This emblem was introduced during Guru Gobind Singh’s time. 

India Today correspondent Navjot Kaur who was present at Red Fort also confirmed that it was the Nishan Sahib. She also said that apart from Nishan Sahib, flags related to the farmers’ movement were also seen at Red Fort.

In conclusion, the flags waved at the Red Fort on Republic Day by protestors were not a Khalistani flag but the Nishan Sahib, a religious flag of Sikhs, which was raised at Red Fort.