A century-old Hindu temple has become latest target of the desecration of places of worship, this one in Central Seberang Perai.
Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said several deities in the Muthumariamman Temple in Penanti Estate in Arakuda were destroyed last night.
The attacker is yet to be identified and appears to have used a wooden pole to hit the statues of the deities in the temple, he added.
Ramasamy said the attack on the temple comes after a similar incident in Ipoh last month, and speculated it may be due to the country's "heated political situation".
"Nothing was stolen from the temple. This is purely a hate crime against Hindus and our places of worship," Ramasamy told Malaysiakini.
"The temple committee has lodged a police report and we hope the police will seriously investigate this issue and not just charge the attacker for being mentally unstable," Ramasamy quipped.
Last month, a medical student, said to be mentally unstable, was charged for damaging idols at the Sree Muneeswaran Amman Temple in Ipoh on April 24.
He was alleged to have had a machete in his possession at the time of the act.
Perpetrators of such acts are liable under Section 295 of the Penal Code, and can be sentenced to a maximum two years’ jail or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
On the charge of possessing a machete, under Section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958, an offender can be sentenced to a maximum 10 years’ jail and caned upon conviction.
Last year, several deities in a prominent Buddhist temple in Seberang Perai were also desecrated by a mentally unstable villager.- Mkini
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