A GROUP of Batu constituents clashed with Election Commission and City Hall (DBKL) officers after they were seen pulling down PKR banners and flags in Taman Datuk Senu, Sentul this afternoon.

No one was injured in the melee, which saw EC and DBKL officers returning the flags and banners to the angry crowd.

Incumbent Batu MP Chua Tian Chang, better known as Tian Chua, was at the scene and demanded that the PKR materials be returned.

“We saw them removing our flags so we asked them to stop. This time they did it in broad daylight,” Tian Chua said.

He was referring to the incident several days ago when officers turned up in Sentul and removed PKR flags and banners late at night, purportedly on the instructions of the Returning Officer.

Their reason was: Tian Chua has been disqualified from contesting in GE14. So his posters and flags should not be seen.

But Batu voters argued that the PKR flag is being used by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) opposition coalition in GE14, who has every right to raise it wherever they want to.

This afternoon, about 15 officers were seen coming out from three vans to collect PKR materials bearing the party’s logo and Tian Chua’s image with Batu independent P. Prabakaran’s images.

Tian Chua said although there were lots of shouting and threats, no one was injured and the officers returned the materials.

“This was just in Taman Datuk Sentul. They are removing the flags and banners in other areas in the Batu constituency.

“I have instructed all party election members in Batu to stop the EC if they see them taking down PKR material in the constituency,” Tian Chua added.

The two-term Batu MP Tian Chua was disqualified from contesting in GE14 over a court summons of RM2,000.

The PH leadership, however, has endorsed Prabakaran, adding that a vote for Prabakaran is a vote for PH.

After Tian Chua’s disqualification, the Batu seat will be a four-cornered fight between Barisan Nasional’s Dominic Lau Chai Hoe, PAS’s Azhar Yahya, and two independents, Prabakaran and V. M. Panjamothy.

Batu currently has 76,328 voters, 42.52% of whom are Malays, Chinese (38.28%) and Indians (17.46%). – May 8, 2018.