National flag hoisted in Kizhoor to mark De Jure Transfer Day in Puducherry

Puducherry Speaker R. Selvam hoisted national flag at Kizhoor village on Saturday (August 16, 2025) to mark the De Jure Transfer of French Territories to India on August 16, 1962. 

He also inspected a guard of honour given by the territorial police near the memorial constructed at Kizhoor village. Mr. Selvam, along with other government representatives, offered floral tributes at the memorial. Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan, Government Whip A.K.D Arumugham, Chief Secretary Sharath Chauhan, District Collector A. Kulothungan, Deputy Inspector General of Police Sathya Sundaram, and Senior Superintendent of Police R. Kalaivanan were present. 

Freedom fighters were honoured on the occasion. The Union Territory observes August 16 every year as De Jure Transfer Day. The national flag is hoisted at Kizhoor, around 22 km from the town, as it was in that village the people of Puducherry gathered to hold a referendum to reject French rule.

Of the 178 members, including elected members of the Representative Assembly and the municipal councillors of Pondicherry and Karaikal who took part in the referendum at Kizhoor, 170 favoured the merger of the French Indian territories with India. On August 16, 1962, the French government conceded the merger of Pondicherry and other French establishments through the De Jure Transfer.