Jawaharlal Nehru didn’t hoist India’s first tricolour at Red Fort on August 15, 1947 - Here's why

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the national flag before addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort marking India's 80th Independence Day on Saturday.

The Independence Day celebrations on 15th August are synonymous with the unfurling of the national flag by the Prime Minister on the Red Fort, in Delhi.

But Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, did not unfurl the national flag at Red Fort on August 15, 1947.

On August 15, 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the national flag at Fort St. George in Chennai at 5:30 A.M. and later hosted the flag at Princess Park near India Gate in New Delhi in the afternoon.

The flag hoisting at the Red Fort was scheduled for August 16, 1947, due to the time required for official administrative arrangements after India's independence came into effect at midnight.

Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his first Independence Day speech at the Red Fort on August 16, 1947, where he referred to himself as the 'Pratham Sewak of India'.

The annual flag hoisting by the Prime Minister at the Red Fort has become a symbol of Indian independence, marking the official celebration of India's freedom each year.

The flag hoisted at Fort St. George is significant as it is one of the first national flags raised on August 15, 1947, symbolizing the struggle for India's freedom.

Instead, on August 15, 1947, India's national flag was first unfurled at the midnight Constituent Assembly session in New Delhi, followed by official hoistings at Princess Park near India Gate, at Fort St. George in Chennai at dawn, and internationally at India House in London.

Jawaharlal Nehru actually hoisted the flag at the Red Fort on August 16, 1947. Nehru then delivered his first Independence Day speech, in which he called himself the Pratham Sewak of India.

The Constituent Assembly held its historic midnight session, where Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his famous “Tryst with Destiny” speech as India ushered into freedom.

The transition of power required time for official administrative arrangements. So the historic flag-hoisting and address from the ramparts of the Red Fort were scheduled for August 16, 1947, according to official records.

“Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, unfurled the national flag for the first time on the Red Fort on August 16, 1947. Since then the hoisting of the tricolour atop the Red Fort has become a symbol of Indian independence and our pride,” an earlier statement by Minister of Defence said.

August 15, 1947 (Afternoon): Then Pandit Nehru hosted the Tiranga for the first time in public at a place then called Princess Park near India Gate in New Delhi.

August 16, 1947 (Morning): Jawaharlal Nehru hosted the flag at the historic Red Fort, Delhi, as per official records.