A British teacher on an education exchange program caused a furor when he pinned an Indian national flag on his trouser to cover a torn portion near the leg area at the official Republic Day function here.

Paul Fixer Dyke from a London school, visiting private ‘Samacheer Kalvi’ (Equitable education) school here under an exchange program of education department, was seen sitting in the front row with the metal flag pinned to cover the torn area.

District Collector Samayamoorthy had asked officials to bring Dyke and his woman colleague Lora Clarke to the dais to honor them on learning about their presence at the function.

As Dyke started moving, his pant got torn after coming into contact with a crowbar used for fastening the awning at the venue. He later fixed the torn pant by using the national flag, he had with him.

Upon seeing this insult to the ‘Indian National Flag’, the press photographers attending the function started taking pictures. Upon seeing this  Britisher waited in the front row rushed out, even without accepting the honor the district collector.

People associated with the Britisher tried to downplay the incident saying, somebody should have advised him to remove the national flag from his leg.

But a lot of Indian freedom fighters attending the function wondered whether this British teacher would have the done the same thing to a British flag or would have forgotten his protocol in front of the ‘Queen’.