Several people, including a prominent blogger and two people believed to be plainclothes police officers, have been injured in a scuffle at a demonstration outside the Kelantan state secretariat building in Kota Bahru.
“I was beaten by a group of about 15 men, who I believe to be Umno Youth members, when we were holding the Pra-Himpunan Royalti Menjunjung Titah Tuanku Sultan Kelantan,” Khairul Nizam Abdul Ghani said of the 9am incident.
Khairul Nizam (right, in red T-shirt), who blogs under the pen name ‘Aduka Taruna’, said he suffered injuries that required three stitches to the head, besides bruises on the body.
He is best known for allegedly insulting the late Sultan of Johor two years ago, for which he was charged with sedition and acquitted last month.
He said he was unsure how many people were injured, but at least four have lodged police reports that they had been attacked.
The rally was to demand for oil and gas royalty payments for Kelantan, and Khairul Nizam said police approval had been obtained to hold the rally at 9am.
He was the press officer for the rally organiser, Gabungan Profesional Tuntut Royalti, Pendaratan Minyak dan Gas ke Negeri Kelantan (Royalti), and was also in charge of security at the rally.
However, Khairul Nizam said, police had also approved another rally to be held at the same place at 10am, on Kelantan’s water woes.
He said the participants of the 10am rally turned up early.
“I was beaten by a group of about 15 men, who I believe to be Umno Youth members, when we were holding the Pra-Himpunan Royalti Menjunjung Titah Tuanku Sultan Kelantan,” Khairul Nizam Abdul Ghani said of the 9am incident.Khairul Nizam (right, in red T-shirt), who blogs under the pen name ‘Aduka Taruna’, said he suffered injuries that required three stitches to the head, besides bruises on the body.
He is best known for allegedly insulting the late Sultan of Johor two years ago, for which he was charged with sedition and acquitted last month.
He said he was unsure how many people were injured, but at least four have lodged police reports that they had been attacked.
The rally was to demand for oil and gas royalty payments for Kelantan, and Khairul Nizam said police approval had been obtained to hold the rally at 9am.
He was the press officer for the rally organiser, Gabungan Profesional Tuntut Royalti, Pendaratan Minyak dan Gas ke Negeri Kelantan (Royalti), and was also in charge of security at the rally.
However, Khairul Nizam said, police had also approved another rally to be held at the same place at 10am, on Kelantan’s water woes.
He said the participants of the 10am rally turned up early.
'They came early and disrupted us'
“They came early and disrupted our rally at 9am. Then they accused us of entering their territory and I went to negotiate with them, together with several police officers.
“It was when we, including two plainclothes police officers, were negotiating with them when another group, who we believe are Umno Youth members, turned up and attacked us,” he said.
Khirul Nizam said he believed his assailants to be Umno Youth members because the organising committee members of the water rally were also Umno members.
He said the water rally was jointly organised by the NGOs Tukar and Majlis Tindakan Rakyat Kelantan.
When contacted, Kelantan police chief Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman confirmed that the incident had occurred but denied that any police report was lodged. Nor was any police officer injured, he said.
“However the police will lodge a police report and arrests will be made in the near future, because we can identify those who were involved,” Jalaluddin said.
“They came early and disrupted our rally at 9am. Then they accused us of entering their territory and I went to negotiate with them, together with several police officers.
“It was when we, including two plainclothes police officers, were negotiating with them when another group, who we believe are Umno Youth members, turned up and attacked us,” he said.
Khirul Nizam said he believed his assailants to be Umno Youth members because the organising committee members of the water rally were also Umno members.
He said the water rally was jointly organised by the NGOs Tukar and Majlis Tindakan Rakyat Kelantan.
When contacted, Kelantan police chief Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman confirmed that the incident had occurred but denied that any police report was lodged. Nor was any police officer injured, he said.
“However the police will lodge a police report and arrests will be made in the near future, because we can identify those who were involved,” Jalaluddin said.
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