Paradip, Aug. 2: Authorities have moved to take the owners of over a dozen of vessels to task for flying torn and disfigured national flags at their trawlers anchored at a fishing jetty near Jamboo, 35km from Paradip.

Following a tip-off from a group of traditional marine fishermen from the region, the coastal security agency, Odisha police and marine wing of the Odisha fisheries department have begun probing into the credentials and origin of the fishing vessels and its crewmembers.

“The fishing trawl operators are accused of showing contemptuous disregard to the tricolour. We have received reports of torn-up and tattered national flags flying atop the vessels. Such act is illegal. Officials of Marine police station have already been directed to look into the entire episode,” said deputy superintendent of police Nrusingha Charan Swain.

Every citizen has the right to the use of the national flag. But, tearing, disfiguring or defacing it is unlawful. Disrespect to the national flag can earn a prison sentence up to three years, a fine or both as per provisions of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. The police were looking into whether such act was an intentional one, Swain said.

“The coastal security wing of Odisha police is taking up the matter with the marine fisheries directorate that issues licence to the vessels to ascertain the root, nativity and genuine credentials of the vessel owners and the crewmembers,” said nodal officer of Odisha police’s coastal security wing Shantanu Kumar Das.

There is no prior report of local vessels misusing the tricolour. As earlier this year, sea-route infiltration of Bangladeshis was reported off Balasore coast, the matter has been taken seriously from coastal security point of view.

The possibility of Bangladeshi vessels using India’s tricolour to trespass into the Indian coastal territory might not be ruled out, Das said.

“A team of officials has rushed to the spot to expedite the probe. Our job would be to find out whether the vessels are equipped with valid licence for sea-fishing. The department would file police complaints and issue advisory notes to vessel owners regarding the proper use of national flags,” said Rabi Narayan Pattnaik, assistant director of the marine fisheries, Paradip.

“The trawler operators have been warned not to place torn flags at the vessels. We are of the view that it was not an act of wilful disrespect. Many of the crewmembers engaged in trawling operation are not literate. They might be unaware of the must-abide rule and guidelines regarding use of the national flag,” said president of the Odisha trawl operators association Sumanta Kumar Biswal.

A fortnight ago, a similar show of disrespect by trawler operators came to light.