Turn yourselves in, temple devotees tell firefighter’s attackers

An association of Sri Maha Mariamman Temple devotees want the culprits who attacked firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim on Tuesday to surrender themselves to authorities.

Its advisor Balakrishnan Appalanaidu, in expressing his regret over the incident, said those who committed the act had tarnished the temple's image.

"Today, if our house is on fire, we will call the Fire and Rescue Department to come and help us. But how could this thing (the attack on Adib) happen?

"This is not something the temple should be held responsible for. This incident had tarnished the temple's image.

"We want the police to investigate who these people are. We also want to urge the community and whoever knows about the incident, if it is true that the officer was beaten up, to get the attackers to surrender themselves.

"Surrender! Do not keep quiet after having caused trouble," Balakrishnan told reporters at the Shah Alam Courts Complex on Thursday.

Balakrishnan was there to accompany three temple devotees in a hearing of their stay application against the consent judgment and execution of a writ of possession for the relocation of the temple.

Adib, 24, a firefighter attached to the Subang Jaya fire station's medical unit, was critically injured after being attacked by a mob that gathered near the temple in Subang Jaya, early on Tuesday morning.

He was initially treated at the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Subang Jaya, before he was transferred to the National Heart Institute (IJN), which is the only medical facility in Malaysia that has a special machine that can provide additional treatment by allowing more oxygen into his lungs.

Balakrishnan said the devotees had also been praying for Adib's recovery and hoped that he could explain what had transpired that night.

The cause of the firefighter's injuries had initially been disputed, with temple caretakers claiming that Adib had been knocked down by a fire engine. 

However, the caretakers' claim was refuted by inspector-general of police Mohamad Fuzi Harun and Fire and Rescue Department director-general Mohammad Hamdan Wahid.

'We are all siblings'

Balakrishnan also said that the devotees understood that the action by a group of intruders on Monday morning, which in turn led to riots that spilled over to Tuesday, did not represent the Malay community as a whole.

"In Malaysia, we are all abang adik (siblings), as a family. I myself went to sekolah kebangsaan (national school), I have many Malay friends and I know how they are.

"They will never disturb other people's houses of worship. But this group did so only because they were paid.

"I hope the police will investigate this matter and take action regardless of who the perpetrators are (tak kira siapa)."

The riots stemmed from an attack in the early hours of Monday morning by a group of 50 masked individuals who attempted to secure the temple which is at the centre of a legal dispute over a proposed relocation.

The authorities have said that a "company adviser" for the developer trying to gain control of the land had hired a group to do so which triggered the first riot.

Police have arrested 21 individuals in connection with the Monday morning attack, including two lawyers.

Adib sustained severe injuries during the second night of rioting. -Mkini