Temple fracas: Ministers chide police's 'Indian vs Indian' claim

Four ministers and a deputy minister today chided the Subang Jaya police for issuing what they claimed was a false claim regarding the early morning fight at the Seafield Sri Mahamariamman temple. 

"The statement was false and irresponsible. It has created much tension amongst the Indian community, especially in light of the late and ineffective response by the Subang Jaya police," Minister in the Prime Minister's Department P Waythamoorthy read out from a joint statement in Parliament today. 

The other ministers who issued the joint statement are Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Xavier Jayakumar, and Deputy Rural Development Minister R Sivarasa.

The ministers' response pertains to the statement by the Subang Jaya police regarding the clash in the wee hours of the morning, which was initially described as a fight between two ethnic Indian groups, stemming from the issue of the temple relocation. 

The statement was later amended to exempt the race, to say it was a clash between two groups of people. 

Thus, Waythamoorthy called on inspector-general of police Mohamad Fuzi Harun to immediately issue a corrective statement to set the facts straight.

"The Subang Jaya police should be investigated and disciplinary action should be taken," he said.

The minister further slammed the police for allegedly arriving at the scene about two hours after the fight had erupted. 

"Questions arise as to why only a single patrol car from the Subang Jaya police force arrived at the scene about 4.15am, while the Federal Reserve Unit only arrived about 6am," he said. 

The group, however, stopped short of saying who had been behind the fight.

"We call for a full and independent inquiry by the police to establish who is behind theserious attack on the temple and the motive for it. Those responsible for this violence must be caught and punished," he said.

Waythamoorthy also called for the federal police in Bukit Aman to probe the incident and not leave it to the Subang Jaya police to handle.

Selangor police chief Mazlan Mansor said initial findings revealed that the fracas ignited after a crowd of 50 people, comprising other races, got involved in a heated exchange with a group of devotees at the temple compound. 

The police are investigating the incident for trespassing, rioting and treachery.

Plans to relocate the temple have been ongoing since 2007, after the land it is located on was purchased by One City Development Sdn Bhd.

In 2014, a consent judgment was entered into in court, where One City and two rival camps vying for control of the temple agreed to relocate it to a plot of land 3km away.

One City had also donated RM1.5 million to the temple as part of the settlement agreement.

However, devotees have continued to resist efforts to relocate the temple, which was built in 1891.

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