Temple desecrator could be an extremist, says DAP man

IPOH: Police should refrain from asserting that the man who broke the statues of deities in a temple here is mentally unstable as only a psychiatrist is qualified to do that, a DAP leader said.

The man who went on a statue-smashing rampage at the Sree Muneeswarar Amman Kovil at Jalan Hospital could well be a religious extremist, according to P Ramasamy.

“If he is a mad man, he could have attacked anybody. But here, he is attacking a Hindu temple.

“I was told by a temple committee member that the man had shouted “Allahuakbar” (Arabic for God is great) before smashing the Hindu idols in the temple,” he told FMT today.

Ramasamy said police must reveal the true story behind the incident for the sake of transparency.

“Please do not cover up, tell the truth and take the necessary action without fear or favour,” he said.

Police have arrested a doctor, who had been recently sacked, in connection with the case.

Following an uproar over the incident, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar called on the Hindu community to remain calm whilst the matter was being investigated.

He asserted that the suspect was mentally ill and had been sent to a psychiatric facility for evaluation.

Last Sunday, the man entered the temple with a parang and started breaking statues. He then took a metal rod from his car and broke more statues.

The man later drove-off hurriedly against traffic and crashed into a bus stop.

Police later revealed that they seized flags and a parang from his car. However, police did not reveal what the flags were about.

Sources close to the investigation say that the suspect had studied in Egypt and England.

Several social media outlets had reported that the suspect is a former state assemblyman’s son. Police, however, declined to comment on this.

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