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Police probe Facebook graphic of flag being ripped apart
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Image widely shared online after being posted by PR, whose employer is also looking into it
Ankita Varma
The police are investigating a Facebook post showing a black T-shirt with a graphic of the Singapore flag being ripped apart by a pair of hands to reveal the Indian flag underneath.
The image, which is believed to have first surfaced on Aug 14, one day ahead of India's Independence Day, was widely shared online when it was posted onto the Singapore Indians and Expats page on Facebook by Singapore permanent resident Avijit Das Patnaik. The page has over 11,000 members.
Mr Patnaik, who has been living in Singapore for a decade, posted it alongside a caption in Hindi that said, "Phir bhi dil hai…", which roughly translates to "Still my heart is…" and alludes to a popular Hindi song that talks about always feeling love for the motherland, India.
But he told The Straits Times that he did not design the image. He had first seen it posted on various individual accounts on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.
Many netizens who saw the post deemed it offensive, with some complaining that the image is disrespectful to Singapore as it shows the Singapore flag being ripped to shreds.
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 $1,000.
The police confirmed that a police report has been lodged and that they are looking into the matter. DBS Bank, which is Mr Patnaik's employer, also commented in a Facebook post that it is 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 $1,000.
When contacted, Mr Patnaik apologised and said that he did not mean to cause offence.
"I did not design the image and had already seen it being circulated widely... which is why I assumed it was okay for me to post the image. " he said.
"I love Singapore deeply and am always singing praises about this country, so my intention was never to cause so much grievance. I just felt that the image represented that deep inside, the heart also beats for our motherland," he added.
Secretary Tan Chor Bee, 52, who saw the post online, said that it should not be surprising that Singaporeans are angry.
"If you post an image which defaces a national flag, then you should expect this result," she said.
However, others like housewife Nadiya Ahmad felt that the situation was blown out of proportion. Ms Nadiya, 36, a Singaporean married to an Indian national, had received the image on WhatsApp on Aug 15. She said:"Perhaps it was not the best idea to show how you can still feel close to your homeland by tearing the flag of your host country, but the thought behind it is not malicious and that is the most important thing. There is no need for this to become a witch-hunt."
