New Delhi: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant warned the residents of Sao Jacinto island in South Goa after an incident of islanders stopping the Indian Navy from raising the national flag in the area. The Chief Minister also warned the islanders that "anti-India activities" would be dealt with an "iron fist". Further, he told the naval authorities to continue with the scheduled programme of unfurling the tricolour there. The Navy had cancelled the plan as the locals were objecting to it. 

The residents of Sao Jacinto, however, clarified later that they were not opposed to unfurling of the flag, but were afraid that the navy's function scheduled on Sunday could be the beginning of the central government taking over the island under the Major Ports Authorities Bill, 2020 in future.

Naval officials said that the Ministry of Defence had planned unfurling of the national flag on islands across the nation between August 13 and 15 as part of Independence Day to commemorate 75 years of Independence. A spokesperson of the Navy's INS Hansa base near Dabolim said that a team from the Goa Naval Area visited the islands of the state when the incident happened. However, the plan at Jacinto island had to be cancelled due to the objection by local residents," he said.

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