Indian ministers chide Subang police’s ‘false remark’ over Seafield temple fight

(Mkini) – Five Indian ministers today chided the Subang Jaya police for issuing what they claimed as false statement 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 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 the inspector-general of police to immediately issue a corrective statement to set the facts straight.

“The Subang Jaya police should be investigated and disciplinary action 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 were behind the fight.