"A ripped flag image, Internet outrage and a family life destroyed: Avijit Das Patnaik's story
SINGAPORE: “I feel like I have committed the greatest crime of the century.”
Avijit Das Patnaik looks baffled as he utters these words, as if he is still trying to make sense of what has happened in the five months since making headlines for sharing an image - created by someone else - on social media of a Singapore flag being ripped to reveal an Indian flag.
“If you Google my name, there are more hits and searches against my name than against leading terrorists and scamsters,” the 45-year-old tells Channel NewsAsia.
The consequences of sharing the image on a Facebook post in August last year have been devastating for the Singapore Permanent Resident, who is originally from India: He’s now jobless and he, along with his wife and two young children, will now likely have to leave the flat that's been their home for the last ten years.
Their HDB flat is now on the market, and all that is left is for it to be sold.
“That’s the interpretation that my friends have, and that day, I was actually saying yes, my body is now Singaporean,” he adds. He thought it was “socially acceptable”.
Still, that was not how many people interpreted it, and over the slightly more than one-hour interview, as he describes in detail life after the incident, his mood changes. At first, he seems hopeful that his family's life in Singapore can be rescued. Then he becomes deflated as the reality sinks in that his situation may not change. Finally, resignation seems to set in.
While Mr Patnaik does not go into detail on the circumstances of what happened, DBS said at the time he had been counselled and that he was “no longer” with the bank. It said it “strongly disapproves of such actions by our employees”.
He regrets upsetting so many people, but he maintains that the image was a piece of art that was open to interpretation. There is a website that makes such images and sells them and all he did was share it, he points out.
“Even if you see the website’s definition, there is no malice in that picture. It says I live in Tanzania but my body belongs to Estonia, something like that. It is an interpretation of art, and if we go like this, we are leaving no room for the interpretation of art. Anybody can get offended by anything today,” he says.
But maybe misinterpretation was not the issue, he says. Sitting on the yellow sofa that fills the living room of his executive flat in Sengkang, Mr Patnaik leans forward as he starts on an issue which he believes is the real problem.
“It was only when certain ‘junk sites’ came out, and gave a very different twist to it (that the problem started). They said this guy has been arrested, and he has created this pic. From there, the problem started, and it was based on false reports.”
Such reports stoked the emotions of an already angry online crowd as an arrest would have made the whole issue more serious and made him look more culpable, he explains."
It is SAD to read his story. I m not sure if the story fr DBS Bank would b different or not.
I could not remembered if ANY of the reasons he had shared here were published or not. It should if they weren't as they seemed logical.
Did his employer NOT hear his side of the story? or they did n discounted or even dismissed it as another lie!!
Should he not take it up with MoM n sue DBS Bank for unlawful dismissal!???
Another Q: what's the point of publishing this sad story?
SINGAPORE: “I feel like I have committed the greatest crime of the century.”
Avijit Das Patnaik looks baffled as he utters these words, as if he is still trying to make sense of what has happened in the five months since making headlines for sharing an image - created by someone else - on social media of a Singapore flag being ripped to reveal an Indian flag.
“If you Google my name, there are more hits and searches against my name than against leading terrorists and scamsters,” the 45-year-old tells Channel NewsAsia.
The consequences of sharing the image on a Facebook post in August last year have been devastating for the Singapore Permanent Resident, who is originally from India: He’s now jobless and he, along with his wife and two young children, will now likely have to leave the flat that's been their home for the last ten years.
Their HDB flat is now on the market, and all that is left is for it to be sold.
“That’s the interpretation that my friends have, and that day, I was actually saying yes, my body is now Singaporean,” he adds. He thought it was “socially acceptable”.
Still, that was not how many people interpreted it, and over the slightly more than one-hour interview, as he describes in detail life after the incident, his mood changes. At first, he seems hopeful that his family's life in Singapore can be rescued. Then he becomes deflated as the reality sinks in that his situation may not change. Finally, resignation seems to set in.
While Mr Patnaik does not go into detail on the circumstances of what happened, DBS said at the time he had been counselled and that he was “no longer” with the bank. It said it “strongly disapproves of such actions by our employees”.
He regrets upsetting so many people, but he maintains that the image was a piece of art that was open to interpretation. There is a website that makes such images and sells them and all he did was share it, he points out.
“Even if you see the website’s definition, there is no malice in that picture. It says I live in Tanzania but my body belongs to Estonia, something like that. It is an interpretation of art, and if we go like this, we are leaving no room for the interpretation of art. Anybody can get offended by anything today,” he says.
But maybe misinterpretation was not the issue, he says. Sitting on the yellow sofa that fills the living room of his executive flat in Sengkang, Mr Patnaik leans forward as he starts on an issue which he believes is the real problem.
“It was only when certain ‘junk sites’ came out, and gave a very different twist to it (that the problem started). They said this guy has been arrested, and he has created this pic. From there, the problem started, and it was based on false reports.”
Such reports stoked the emotions of an already angry online crowd as an arrest would have made the whole issue more serious and made him look more culpable, he explains."
It is SAD to read his story. I m not sure if the story fr DBS Bank would b different or not.
I could not remembered if ANY of the reasons he had shared here were published or not. It should if they weren't as they seemed logical.
Did his employer NOT hear his side of the story? or they did n discounted or even dismissed it as another lie!!
Should he not take it up with MoM n sue DBS Bank for unlawful dismissal!???
Another Q: what's the point of publishing this sad story?
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