Netizen apologises over video allegedly insulting Muslims

Summary

• Netizen Vijayan Savarinathan apologises for making lewd and insulting remarks about Muslims, admitting his actions were inappropriate.

• Police are investigating Vijayan, who is believed to be abroad, under Section 298 for inciting religious disharmony and Section 233 for misuse of network facilities.

Netizen Vijayan Savarinathan has apologised after being accused of making lewd and insulting remarks about Muslims.

In a video posted on his Facebook today, he admitted that what he had done was inappropriate and he would like to apologise sincerely to all Malays and Muslims.

“What I did was wrong; what I said was also inappropriate. I was enraged because of that video they made,” he said, in an apparent reference to a video made by a group of Era FM radio announcers.

“We have been insulted again and again, but that was no excuse for me to say what I said in that video,” Vijayan added.

The netizen had posted the allegedly offensive video on March 5, which has since been deleted. The video came in the wake of another controversy where Era FM hosts mocked the Thaipusam kavadi ritual practiced by Hindus.

The hosts Nabil Ahmad, Azad Jasmin, and Radin Amir Affendy have since apologised over the debacle and have been suspended along with two other staff members.

Police are also investigating the case, while the MCMC issued a notice of intention to suspend Era FM’s broadcasting licence.

Several politicians, including National Unity Minister Aaron Ago Dagang and MIC deputy president M Saravanan, have also called for action against Vijayan.

However, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain reportedly told the New Straits Times on March 7 that Vijayan is believed to be abroad, though efforts to track him down were still ongoing.

He said Vijayan was being investigated under Section 298 of the Penal Code for actions that could incite racial and religious disharmony and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for abuse of network facilities.

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