Keadilan supporters barred from dancing during Thaipusam

comments     Susan Loone     Published     Updated

The police prevented 30 Keadilan supporters in Penang from dancing during the Thaipusam celebration and sent them for urine test, Keadilan supreme council member N Gobalakrishnan told malaysiakini today.

Gobala said when he questioned a police officer about the matter and he was arrested for obstructing the officer from discharging his duties.

As a citizen, I have the right to question the police. I wanted to know what was wrong as the police was rounding up our supporters into a truck, said Gobala, who was at the celebration with the group.

The controversial incident took place in Georgetowns Jalan Utama at 12.20pm on Tuesday.

Gobala, who spent a night in the police headquarters lock up, said such dancing was an annual affair during Thaipusam.

I told the police if they had wanted to stop the dancing then they should first stop the music from being played, he added.

Gobala, is however uncertain of the status of the 27 party supporters who had been sent for the urine test.

He said he was only aware that two of them, who were juveniles, were later released and not sent for the urine test.

It is later learnt that those sent for urine test were released on the same the day.

Pleaded not guilty

Yesterday, Gobala pleaded not guilty in the magistrate court for obstructing Chief Insp V Saravanan from performing his duties during the Thaipusam celebration.

Also charged was lorry driver S Subramaniam who is alleged to have obstructed Cpl N Narayan from performing his duties at the same place at 12.25pm.

Both face a three-month jail term or a fine of up to RM1,000 if found guilty of the charge under section 186 of the Penal Code.

The two were represented by counsel Gooi Hsiao Leung and N Ahilan, while the deputy public prosecutors in the case were Adnan Aziz and Anslem Charles Fernandis.

Gooi earlier applied for Gobalakrishnan and Subramaniam to be freed under section 388 (ii) of the Criminal Procedure Code as the case did not involve any criminal force.

The prosecution objected to the application and argued that the case is a criminal case and not a summons case.

Magistrate Roslan Hamid then set bail at RM1,500 each and fixed trial for July 4.



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