SINGAPORE, June 24 — An Indian national who was the first to claim trial over his alleged role in the Little India riot in December was yesterday found guilty of obstructing a policeman during the riot and sentenced to five months’ jail.

Mahalingam Thavamani, 27, could have been jailed up to eight years and fined for the charge.

During the trial, the court heard that Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) N Subramaniam, who had ordered Thavamani’s arrest, admitted he could not recognise the latter in court.

In her oral grounds of decision, District Judge Salina Ishak said DSP Subramaniam’s inability to identify the accused in court was “not fatal to the prosecution’s case”, as Thavamani had been identified by another police officer who had corroborated the exchange — lasting more than seven minutes — between DSP Subramaniam and the accused.

During the exchange, the latter refused to listen to DSP Subramaniam’s instructions and insisted on entering a restricted area near Belilios Road.

Thavamani had said he did not comply with DSP Subramaniam’s order to leave the vicinity because he could not find his younger brother and wanted to wait for him.

In their submissions to the court, the prosecution had argued that obstruction need not be of a physical nature and that “obstruction is made out if the officer is frustrated in his attempt to perform his duty”. ― Today