KUALA LUMPUR – Police are denying allegations that they were set to tear down a temple in Cheras, after a video of an attack by individuals against the authorities were viral.
In a statement, Cheras police chief Muhammad Idzam Jaafar said that there was an operation conducted by Kuala Lumpur’s Land and Mines Office in Cheras to build a hoarding fence for a route to a school.
Cheras police officers were deployed to ensure the process went smoothly.
“During the operation, around 30 Chinese men and women came armed with sticks and (iron) rods. This group stopped the operation, destroyed the bulldozer and attacked police at the location.
“Police arrested four individuals aged between 19 and 50. The case is being investigated under Section 148 and Section 186 of the Penal Code.
“A video was uploaded on Facebook to exploit sympathy for the incident. Police are advising the public not to speculate, assume or come up with opinions that can confuse, agitate and threaten public safety.
“The Cheras police deny there was an attempt to tear down any temples in the incident,” said Idzam.
In the video, an altercation can be seen between the group of people and the police, and a woman filming the stand-off can be heard saying in Mandarin: “The police are hitting people! The police want to demolish our temple! Please share!”
However, another Facebook user, Randy Liang, refuted the woman in the first video, saying he did not see the police attacking anyone.
In his post, he claimed that it was the protesters provoking and attacking the police. – The Vibes, September 28, 2021
