Umno-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia is in hot water again as Penang executive councillor Lim Hock Seng is suing the daily for defamation due to allegations that he had beaten up one of his constituents.

State exco Jagdeep Singh Deo said a demand letter had been issued to the editor and the newspaper Utusan Malaysia (M) Bhd in Kuala Lumpur today, seeking a retraction of the report and a front page apology.

"The allegations are wrong, untrue and or completely baseless and are malicious," said Jagdeep, reading out the notice of demand at a press conference today.

"Lim has never at any time scolded or beaten the complainant G Paradase Naidu as claimed in the report," Jagdeep added.

The Malay daily had on Dec 21 published a report that a man who wanted to meet a DAP assemblyperson to ask his permission to organise a religious event, claimed that he was beaten and chased away from the YB's office.

The paper said that at 9.20pm on the night of incident, Paradase Naidu, 36, had gone to Lim’s office along Jalan Raja Uda to ask for their so-called permission to hold the Ponggal festival.

The victim reportedly had to wait two hours before he managed to meet Lim, who is the Bagan Jermal assemblyperson.

When he finally met Lim, Paradase Naidu claimed that he was scolded, hit (by the hand) and chased away from the office.

‘Ridiculed, hated and insulted publicly’

Unsatisfied with Lim’s alleged action, the man filed a police report at the Mak Mandin police station at 10.30pm.

Jagdeep said the report had resulted in Lim being ridiculed, hated and insulted publicly.

He added as the claims were "seriously slanderous" towards Lim, Utusan Malaysia is urged to retract the report without conditions, tender its apology in one week and pay the necessary compensation to be agreed by both parties.

"The apology and retraction must be published in a prominent place on the front page of the newspaper," said Jagdeep.

"If the paper fails to comply with our demands, we will begin with legal proceedings without referring to the owners of Utusan Malaysia ," he stressed.

In the same press conference, Lim admitted that Paradase Naidu had visited his office on the night of the incident, but denied that he had scolded or hit the man.

"This man often comes by to demand for money. That night he came while I was having a meeting with a few others," Lim explained.

"I told him to wait outside as I was having a meeting. I did not scold or beat him up," Lim added.