Right-wing Hindu politician makes startling claims over Seafield temple fracas

Arjun Sampath hands over his protest memorandum at the Malaysian consulate in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. (Twitter pic)

PETALING JAYA: A right-wing Hindu politician from India has made startling claims over Monday’s violence at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya, saying the temple had been “flattened” while women and children were brutally murdered.

“In an attempt by those warmongers to slit the throats of women and children, their necks and napes were heavily mutilated,” Arjun Sampath, who heads the Hindu People’s Party, a Hindu extremist party, said in a letter to the Malaysian consulate-general in Tamil Nadu two days ago.

“The constabularies were gawping these phenemonons. Without taking any action against these assailants, they endorsed the occurences.

“All these were aired via social media which shook the heart of millions of Hindu Tamils across the globe,” he said.

His statement in English is littered with the use of strong expressions such as “Islamist fascists”, “bloodthirsty”, “savaged xenophobes”, “barbarities”, “illiberal Islamist chauvinists” and “villainous”, among others.

Urging the Malaysian government to “judicially wallop” those behind the temple violence, Arjun also urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn the “slothful reaction” of Putrajaya over the issue.

He also made references to Dr Zakir Naik, the Indian preacher who now lives in Malaysia, and said Malaysia was “rapidly getting Islamised” to threaten “communities other than Muslims”.

Arjun further claimed that youths who defended the temple were confronted by assailants who “shattered off the heads”.

Early Monday, a mob attacked the temple in Seafield, amid resistance from some devotees to relocate the 40-year-old structure based on a consent judgment in 2014.

This was followed by violent protests a day later, which saw a fireman being attacked and several vehicles set on fire. The fireman’s condition has since improved, while police say the situation near the temple was back to normal.

The temple was to be relocated on Nov 22 as part of a win-win solution involving the developer One City, the Selangor state government and two claimants to the temple management, K Chellapa and M Nagaraju.

Nagaraju later made an about-turn, and gathered several Hindu activists to protest the relocation plan.

Meanwhile, FMT has contacted S Ramaji, who is behind the Save Seafield Maha Mariamman Temple, as well as Wisma Putra. -FMT