Bengaluru: For the first time in history, the national flag was hoisted at the controversial Idgah Maidan in Bengaluru on the occasion of 76th Independence day on Monday.

Officials from the Revenue department unfurled the Indian flag amid tight security at the Idgah grounds at Chamarajpet. The Idgah Maidan is mired in controversy due to ownership claims from both the Wakf Board and civic authorities.

On August 3, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) declared the ground to be a property of the state revenue department and said that any decision on its usage will be decided by the revenue department.

The tricolour was hoisted at the Idgah Maidan around 8 am by assistant commissioner of Bengaluru Urban Dr M G Shivanna, along with Chamarajpet MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan, member of Lok Sabha from Bengaluru Central constituency PC Mohan, ACP (Bengaluru west) Sandeep Patil and DCP (Bengaluru west) Laxman Nimbargi.

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The flag hoisting was followed by the singing of the national anthem and the state anthem. Later, various cultural activities, including singing patriotic songs, displaying a short play on Onake Obavva, a warrior who fought the troops of Hyder Ali at Chitradurga, and dancing to Vande Mataram were performed.