What started as a minor misunderstanding in school had nearly turned into a full-blown riot when an angry mob of about 1,000 laid siege to the Pekan Nanas police station in Johor yesterday.

According to media reports, the police station was locked up and a Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) squad was deployed to prevent the crowd from storming the police station.

crowd surround pekan nenas police station 210409 nanyang The 7.30pm incident also brought traffic to a standstill in the area.

Johor CID chief Amer Awal said the problem started in SMK Pekan Nanas where a Form One student was slapped by a Form Five student after an accidental brushing of shoulders.

It was also reported that the Form One student is the grandson of a well-known local MCA leader.

Following this, the Form One student's father brought three friends to the school in order to settle the dispute but was stopped by a Malay teacher, who is believed to be the father of the other student.

Apparently a fight broke out between the two, and the teacher lodged a police report later claiming that he sustained injuries to his face, chest and back.

Cops arrest father

The police then arrested the father of the Form One student when he was making a police report at the Pekan Nanas police station.

pekan nanas location 210409 When news of the incident broke out, the teacher’s friends and relatives began to gather at the police station.

Scuffles erupted between the angry crowd and the police when the father of the Form One student was being transferred to the Pontian district police headquarters in a van.

The crowd had tried to stop the van from leaving, with some throwing objects at the vehicle, resulting in one of the windows being smashed.

The police are investigating the slapping incident under Section 323 of the Penal Code while the father, who has been remanded for three days, is being investigated for trespassing and causing offence in a group.

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Wee Jeck Seng, Pekan Nanas assemblyperson Tang Nai Soon and Kukup assemblyperson Md Othman Yusof also rushed to the scene to calm the situation.

Following the incident, SMS messages were circulated among Pekan Nanas resident warning them of racial tensions and not to leave their house.