INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The image was posted by Avijit Das Patnaik on the Singapore Indians Expats page.Singapore: A Facebook post by a Indian-origin man showing
the Singapore flag on a T-shirt being ripped up to reveal the Indian flag underneath has caused outrage in the city-state, a media report
said today.The image, which is believed to have first surfaced on August 14, on the eve of Independence Day, was widely shared online when
it was posted on the Singapore Indians Expats page by Avijit Das Patnaik
The page has over 11,000 members, according to a report by Tabla!, a Friday weekly for the Indian community in Singapore.The man, who has
been living in Singapore for a decade, posted it alongside a caption in Hindi that said, 'Phir bhi dil hai' (Still my heart is) and alludes
to a popular Bollywood song, the report said.Many netizens have deemed it offensive, saying the image was disrespectful to Singapore as it
showed the graphic Singapore flag being ripped by a pair of hands to shreds
The image has since been taken down
Police has confirmed they are looking into the matter, it added.When contacted, Mr Patnaik apologised and said he did not mean to offend
"I did not design the image and had already seen it being circulated widely, which is why ii assumed it was okay for me to post the image,"
Mr Patnaik was quoted as saying."I love Singapore deeply and am always signing praises about this country, so my intention was never to
I just felt that the image represented that deep inside, the heart also beats for our motherland," he added.DBS Bank, which is Mr Patnaik's
employer, also commented in a Facebook post that it was looking into the matter.The Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Act states
that no person shall treat the flag with disrespect
The penalty is a maximum fine of SGD 10,000.
