People here are protesting a fashion show where former Miss India Shweta Menon walked the ramp wrapped in the national flag, then flung it open, appearing in teeny-weeny clothes.

"She came on the ramp with her body wrapped in the national flag and after walking a small distance on the ramp she unwrapped the flag. She was wearing very less underneath," complained R.K. Singh, a resident.

Protestors also complained that police, present in large numbers at the show Oct 28, did nothing to prevent this "disrespect" to the flag.

Neither model-turned-actress Menon nor the show organisers was available for comment.

"I cannot tolerate the national flag being insulted in such a manner. She should have used something other than tricolour for wrapping her body," said Manish Garg, another Alwar resident.

Added 90-year-old Kripa Dayal Mathur, a former freedom fighter: "We want Shweta Menon to apologise without delay. It's a shame that a model walks on a ramp draped in a national flag, a flag for which we fought for and for which so many sacrifices were made."

In 2000, fashion designer Malini Ramani got into trouble after she showed a knee-length dress, which looked like a tricolour wrapped around the body.

Police filed a case against her for insulting the flag and the dress was seized because it went against the 1950 Flag Code, which then even prevented private citizens from flying the flag from their homes and vehicles.

Following a lawsuit, citizens now have the right to fly the national flag.