GEORGE TOWN, June 26 — Four men pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to charges of being members of an unlawful assembly with the common intention of causing grievous hurt to a man last week.

The accused, R. Nahveen Raaj, 34; S. Logakumaran, 31; M. Sanjit Kumar, 38; and K. Dineskumar, 30, were jointly charged with four other individuals who remain at large.

They were accused of being members of an unlawful assembly in which one or more members allegedly caused grievous hurt to Mohamed Umar Sheriff Mohamed Ameen, 31.

The offence allegedly took place at the Hean Seng Kong Temple in Jelutong here at 4.24am on June 21.

The charge was framed under Section 149 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years, and shall also be liable to a fine or caning, upon conviction.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Lee Jun Keong, while all the accused were represented by lawyer V. Parthipan.

Citing the severity of the victim’s injuries and the risk of the accused absconding, Judge Irwan Suainbon denied bail to all four men.

The court has scheduled August 28 for the submission of the full medical report.

On Tuesday, police arrested six men suspected of wounding two men with sharp weapons at a temple in Jelutong, in the early hours of last Sunday.

Penang police chief Datuk Dennis Lim Kwang Keng said the incident is believed to have stemmed from a misunderstanding at an entertainment outlet, when one of the victims, aged 31, was accused of stealing a suspect’s mobile phone, an allegation that turned out to be false. — Bernama