Singapore Police Probe ‘Shameful’ Racist Online Comments Targeting Indians Over Nepal-Tibet Disaster, Air India Row: Shanmugam

September 6, 2026

Singapore: Singapore law enforcement agencies are investigating what Senior Minister K Shanmugam described as “shameful” and “totally unacceptable” racist and xenophobic online comments linked to the Nepal-Tibet disaster and discussions surrounding Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) financial involvement in Air India.

Shanmugam, who is also Singapore’s Home Affairs Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, said authorities would take action against online content that violates Singapore’s laws and established standards.

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia on Saturday, Shanmugam said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information would direct social media platforms to remove comments that breach their community standards. He also said he had asked the police to investigate the comments.

Shanmugam condemns racist online comments

“The comments are shameful, nasty, totally unacceptable,” Shanmugam said, noting that it was not immediately clear whether all the comments had been posted by Singaporeans.

He said recent reports surrounding Air India’s request for additional financial contributions from its shareholders, including SIA, had triggered a fresh wave of anti-Indian and racist commentary online.

According to Shanmugam, some online users also targeted senior executives at Temasek because of their ethnic backgrounds. Temasek is the majority owner of Singapore Airlines, while its CEO Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara is of Indian origin.

Shanmugam said claims that the Temasek CEO would favour Air India because of his ethnicity were “nasty and libellous”, stressing that his ethnic background should not be used as a basis for questioning his loyalty to Singapore.

Singapore warns against racial division

The Senior Minister said authorities cannot allow anonymous online spaces to become platforms for racial or religious hostility. He warned that hateful comments can gradually become normalised if they are not challenged.

“I’ve decided to call out these people because you see what is happening in other countries. First, a minority says these nasty things; slowly it becomes normalised; then it becomes mainstream,” Shanmugam said.

He stressed that Singapore’s multicultural and multi-religious character makes social cohesion particularly important. According to him, racial or religious divisions could create suspicion and hostility and weaken the unity that has helped Singapore remain stable.

“We are a very small multiracial, multi-ethnic country. If we are divided along racial or religious lines, we will lose the unity that has made Singapore strong,” he said.

Air India funding issue triggers fresh debate

The controversy comes amid reports that Air India is seeking additional financial support from its shareholders, including Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines.

A media report last month said Air India was seeking around USD 1.5 billion in additional backing from its parent entities following a record annual financial loss.

Shanmugam’s comments come as Singapore authorities seek to address what he described as an increase in hostile rhetoric targeting Indians and prevent racial prejudice from becoming normalised in the country’s public discourse.