SEBERANG Perai Selatan police chief Lee Chong Chern has come under fire for allegedly refusing to allow Hindu festivals in the district.

Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy said Hindus in the district have found it hard to get a permit for religious processions since Lee became the police chief.

“Recently, all kinds of restrictions were placed on the Hindu temple in Ladang Caledonia in their annual celebrations,” Ramasamy, who is the Penang Hindu Endowments Board chairman, said in a statement.

“Countless trips had to be made to the Jawi police station before a restricted permit was issued with all kinds of conditions.”

He also pointed out that a Murugan temple was denied permission for devotees to carry the kavadi during Thaipusam.

“Despite the denial of the permit, the devotees managed to carry the kavadi. The temple committee members were subsequently (summoned) to the police station for investigation,” he said.

In another case, Ramasamy said the Kuil Maha Muthalaman temple in Bukit Tambun has yet to receive a reply from police on its application to hold its annual procession. He said the application was sent on  April 10 for the event on June 2.

“The person behind the unreasonable restrictions on Hindu religious activities in the SPS is none other than the current OCPD Lee,” said the DAP leader, referring to the top cop by the initials of his official position as officer in charge of police district.

“He is not only arrogant and insensitive to the religious needs of the Hindus, he refuses to issue permits to the Hindu temples in the districts.”

It was reported today that Lee had lodged a police report against a DAP councillor over an allegedly defamatory statement on Facebook.

Seberang Perai city councillor David Marshel had said that police had deliberately refused to grant a Hindu temple in Seberang Perai approval for a chariot procession.

Ramasamy today said Marshel was not wrong about the police chief’s conduct.

He said Marshel had not defamed Lee but merely sated that the Seberang Perai police were insensitive about religious rights.

“What was raised by David in his FB posting is not defamatory or intended to ridicule the police in general or the OCPD Lee in particular,” said Ramasamy.

“The OCPD Lee, rather than lodging a police report against David, should have called him to resolve the problem.”

Ramasamy said his staff would be lodging a report against Lee today. – May 4, 2023.