The Indian national who posted an image of the Singapore flag being shredded to reveal an Indian flag underneath on Facebook is no longer working with his employer.
Avijit Das Patnaik has been living in Singapore for a decade and was employed by DBS in the Consumer Banking Operations Team.
Avijit supposedly posted the image on August 14, one day before India's Independence Day. It was accompanied by the caption "Phir bhi dil hai…" which translates to "Still my heart is....", a reference to a popular Hindi song about love for the Indian motherland.
The post has since been taken down.
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After the image was posted in a Facebook group "Singapore Indians and Expats", it went viral, triggering Singaporeans to launch a tirade and witch hunt against what was deemed disrespectful to Singapore.
According to the The Straits Times on August 18, both the police and DBS were looking into the matter. DBS, in particular, tried to placate customers by counselling Avijit:
Singaporeans took issue with the shredded Singapore flag and called for his termination:
Avijit himself told The Straits Times that he saw the image being posted on various social media:
"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.....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."
In its latest post, DBS confirmed that after convening a disciplinary hearing, Avijit no longer works for the bank effective August 24.
Treating the Singapore flag with disrespect is punishable under the Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Act. It carries a maximum fine of $1,000. It is unsure if Avijit was dealt the fine by the police.
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