Hindraf says bullying cases racially motivated

Hindraf has called on the government to look into the numerous allegations of racially-motivated cases of bullying and abuse against Indian Malaysian students in schools and urged ation against the perpetrators.

The two types of abuse aimed at the community's students are "fast-growing national trends" in schools, claimed Hindraf de facto leader P Uthayakumar in a letter dated today.

It was addressed to Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and inspector-general of police Ismail Omar.

He detailed 10 such instances of these supposedly racially-motivated cases of violence or abuse, from 2011 to 2012.

Some of those Uthayakumar (right) highlighted were reported by the press including Makkal Osai, Tamil Nesan, Malaysian Nanban, Malay Mail and Sinar Harian.

The others were cases brought to Hindraf directly.

Five were said to have involved Malay boys with no action taken against them except for the arrest of the victims in some cases.

Out of official syllabus topic

Three of the cases allegedly were perpetrated by Malay teachers, which included one in Selangor where a teacher poked a student's forehead with a pen until he apparently bled.

In another case a teacher was alleged to have scolded a group of them, calling them "Hindu pariah", as reported yesterday by the Free Malaysia Today news portal.

Lastly, he also raised a case where three Indian Malaysian students were apparently taken to the Kuala Kubu Baru district police headquarters to be questioned for 10 hours for attempting to return copies of the novel Interlokto their school headmaster.

Uthayakumar lamented the lack of action from the police and education authorities, saying it was because "the victims were powerless and soft targets as Indian poor".

"But when the victims are Malay-Muslims, the police and the education department go full steam ahead in arresting, prosecuting and sacking the poor Indian students," he said.

He questioned why such "racism" was allowed to "prevail", despite the government's much-trumpeted 1Malaysia slogan.

He called on Hishammuddin, Muhyiddin and Ismail to take the appropriate action against the teachers or students concerned.

"Also, issue a circular ending all forms of violence, bullying and racism, especially against the Indian poor," he added.