KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 ― Several ethnic Indian lawmakers are calling for federal police to investigate today’s predawn rioting at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in USJ25, Putra Heights.
Led by Senator P. Waytha Moorthy, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of unity and social wellbeing, the group accused the Subang Jaya police of being slow to respond to the rioting and of issuing a “false” statement that has raised temperatures within the ethnic Indian community instead of cooling it.
“We call upon the IGP to ensure that a corrective statement is immediately issued to set the facts straight. The Subang Jaya police should be investigated and disciplinary action taken,” the group said in their joint statement in a press conference at Parliament.
Apart from Waytha, the others were elected representatives from Pakatan Harapan: Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar, Human Resource Minister M. Kulasegaran, Rural Development Deputy Minister R. Sivarasa and Batu Kawan MP P. Kasthuriraani.
In their statement, the six noted the statement issued by the Subang Jaya police playing down the violent clash as due to a “misunderstanding” between two ethnic Indian groups over the 140-year-old temple’s relocation.
“This statement is false and irresponsible. It has created much tension amongst the Indian community especially in the light of the late and ineffective response by the Subang Jaya police,” they said.
They claimed that they received information that the melee started when some 50 people armed with parangs trespassed into the temple at about 2.30am and started wreaking havoc, including taking five Hindu devotees hostage briefly until other members of the congregation drove them off.
They claimed police only arrived on the scene several hours after the violence broke ― the first a single police patrol car from Subang Jaya at 4.15am and the anti-riot squad at 6am.
The lawmakers condemned what they described as an “unprovoked attack on the temple” and called for a full and independent police inquiry to find out the assailants and the motive for the assault.
“This investigation should be conducted by Bukit Aman and not left to the Subang Jaya police to handle,” they said, adding that the perpetrators must be caught and punished.
