Temple admits it couldn’t control crowd outside its grounds

Noel Achariam Noel Achariam Updated 7 years ago · Published on 28 Nov 2018 7:00AM · 5 Comments

The Save Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Task Force facing the media yesterday. The committee invited Indians nationwide to ‘defend’ the temple after a pre-dawn attack on Monday, a move which led to more violence yesterday. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, November 28, 2018.

POLICE should have controlled the crowd outside the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple to prevent violence, said a group which claimed it could only take care of devotees within the temple grounds. 

The Save Seafield Temple Task Force earlier sent out word to Indians nationwide to come and support its cause after the temple was attacked for allegedly failing to adhere to a court order to relocate to another site.

Committee member Elangovan Annamalai told The Malaysian Insight yesterday they simply could not control the crowd that turned up.

“We are responsible for the safety of the devotees in the temple. We cannot be responsible for those gathered outside the temple,” Elangovan told The Malaysian Insight. 

“It is the duty of the police. They also had some 150 Federal Reserve Units (FRU) personnel outside. They should have controlled the crowd.”

Thousands turned up at the temple on Monday night in a show of support for the committee, which is in a legal wrangle with developer One City Development Sdn Bhd.

The task force initially stopped several people from going to the MCT Tower after hearing some speeches inciting violence, he said.

Police officers assessing a damaged vehicle at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple yesterday. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, November 28, 2018.

“I told them if they go there, then they are no different from the gangsters (who attacked the temple).”

He also told the crowd that if they went to MCT Tower and were caught, the temple would not bail them out.

“I also told them we are busy with the temple issue, so they must not create other problems for us,” Elangovan said, adding that they managed to control the crowd.

He said he did not know anything about the acts of vandalism at MCT Tower later.

Task force secretary V.K. Reju admitted they contacted many Indians around the country and that was why a crowd turned up on Monday night after learning of the attack at the temple.

“But we did not ask them to go on a rampage. We could not control what happened outside the temple grounds,” Reju said.

“The police must be held responsible for that. They neglected their job, that’s why a lot people (outsiders) came here.  

“If the police were here to protect us, then none of this would have happened.

“So why should we take responsibility? It is difficult to control a big crowd. Many of those who turned up did so voluntarily.” – November 28, 2018.

The 147-year-old Sri Maha Mariamman temple is embroiled in a legal tussle with a developer which bought over the land on which it is sited. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, November 28, 2018.

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Comments

  • You sent word out to Indians nationwide, and then expect them all to fit inside the temple compound? What nonsense.

    Posted 7 years ago by Luke Skywalker · Reply

  • Precisely, Luke Skywalker

    Posted 7 years ago by Julian Nagelsmann · Reply

  • Simple solution: replace religion with ecology. If the air is polluted & the water poisoned, we all die, regardless of how many times a day we pray & in which direction & whether or not we're circumcised.

    Posted 7 years ago by Antares Maitreya · Reply

  • Send a nationwide message to ask the Indians to come and support them and now say that the police was responsible for the crows. Did you even get a police permit to have the Indians gather there.

    Posted 7 years ago by Lily Cheong · Reply

  • Something is not very right in this temple fracas. Opportunist are taking advantage especially the hawks who are flying around the peripheral. This is what they were waiting for to creat mayhem of disasterous nature to topple the democratic elected government of PH. The calamities are beyond their understanding in their selfish self serving causes. They do not stop to think twice as the stakes are too high for them and their future. No bother if the dire consequences are irremediable. This skirmishes are just a taste of a pre Dec 8th finale. PM Mahatir has to place in the iron rule to diffuse it by declaring the rally illegal and impose a call up on all the rally leaders to report their presence at every 4 hrs to the police stations. This is a deterent and a dousing clause to riot wannabees heroes. Extreme measures to counter for extreme desperate irrational rabble rouser.

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply