Independence
Day flag
raising
peaceful

From Page 1

had assembled at the Con-
sul’s 1045 Eyremont Drive
address by 8 a.m. attempting
to stop the traditional 9 a.m.
flag-raising ceremonies.

The tense four-hour con-
frontation resulted in scuf-
fles between. protesters and
the 120 police called in to
defuse the situation. The In-
dian flag:and an effigy of
the ‘late; Indian Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi were
both burned on the Consul’s
lawn. The flag raising cere-
mony was delayed to 10 a.m.

“But this year, as you can
see,’ said Sharma, ‘‘we have
no problems. This year we
have all our friends on this
side of the hedge. Every sect
and region of India is repre-
sented here today.”’

Following the 9 a.m. rais-
ing of the flag, Sharma read
the Independence day
message of hope and patri-
otic goodwill delivered to all
Indians by India’s president,
Giani Zail Singh.

The speech hailed India’s
democratic survival through
the trying fires of past ter-
rorism and violence. Solu-
tions to both, the president’s
speech declared, had been
reached through negotiation
and mutual give and take.
India’s democracy, he an-
nounced, had come of age.

After reading the speech,

Sharma appealed to all In- |

do-Canadians:to work
together. to preserve peace
and understanding. He told
his guests that with Thurs-
day’s announced settlement
of India’s dispute with its
Assam region coupled with
the recent memorandum of
settlement in the Punjab
district, -‘“‘the two major
problems facing the unity of
India have been solved.”

Referring to past violence
and last year’s demonstra-
tion, Sharma said, ‘‘We
have hada minor family
dispute which has been sett!-
ed. Let, us all take that cue
and wors towards becoming
a happy united tamily once
again.””

Sharma held out the olive
branch to past protesters,
saying they were welcome
back, “there are no bitter
feelings. So let us all raise
our voices in: celebration
loud enough so that all the
people in the British Proper-
ties will realize we are

celebrating a different kind -

of:celebration this year than
last year.”

At approximately 10 a.m.,
50 protesters from the Peo-

ple’s Front arrived to with
banners and distributed
leaflets denouncing ‘‘the In-
dian ruling classes and their
‘lackeys’’. Though it produc-
ed some inflammatory
speeches and anti-govern-
ment chanting, no serious
confrontations came of the
demonstration.

A much relieved RCMP
Insp. Don Melay, the man in
charge of protective policing
for B.C., said though expec-
tations of trouble for this
year’s’ Independence Day
ceremonies were reduced,
the heavy police contingent
was ‘‘an adequate and nec-
essary response to the situa-
tion.”

“An ounce of preven-
tion,”? he added with a
smile, ‘‘is worth a pound of
cure."’

2 - Friday, August 16, 1985 - North Shore News

KEEPING A
CLOSE eye on §
proceedings police
personnel watched |
a peaceful flag rais-
ing to mark India’s
Independence Day
Thursday. Members
of the North Van-
couver RCMP and
the West Vancouver
police observed the
proceedings on the
jawn of India’s
consul, Jagdish
Sharma.

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