Cemetery ownership issue: Reports lodged againt Rama

The DCM ll was also named in reports filed in Klang where he has been accused of allegedly threatening an MIC Youth leader.

BATU KAWAN: Two Indian community leaders here have lodged separate police reports on Saturday on two different issues against Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy and several other persons.

New IPF pro-tem president V Mathiyalagan, 55, and Ladang Batu Kawan Hindu temple, Sri Maha Muthu Mariamman Kovil management committee chairman A Nallakumar, 49, lodged the reports against Ramasamy and others at Batu Kawan police station, under Seberang Perai Selatan district.

In his report, Mathialagan accused Ramasamy and his alleged cronies of plotting to usurp the Batu Kawan cemetery from the ownership of the said Hindu temple and Batu Kawan residents.

He accused Ramasamy, the Batu Kawan MP, of publicly lying about the facts behind the 200-year-old cemetery by claiming that the temple had abandoned the graveyard.

He said Ramasamy, also the DAP deputy secretary-general, lied that the temple has no right over the cemetery, which houses some 1,800 Hindu burial grounds.

He said the temple committee has documented evidence to show proof on its ownership rights over the cemetery land.

Apart from Ramasamy, Mathiyalagan also named the DCM 11′s close aide and Seberang Perai municipal (MPSP) councillor M Ramachandran, Batu Kawan village safety and development committee chairman G Dumani and a local PKR member named as just Ravi as part of the plot.

Ramasamy recently announced that the Penang Hindu Endowments Board (HEB), which he heads, planned to take over the management of the cemetery.

The six-acre cemetery had existed since 1817 under the Gangai Malai estate established during the British rule. Gangai Malai estate was later renamed Ladang Batu Kawan.

Ramasamy claimed that the cemetery was abandoned by the temple management since the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) acquired the area to build a new township during the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) administration.

However, Mathiayalagan, a local resident, dismissed Ramasamy’s claim, saying that the temple committee had been managing the graveyard until now.

‘All lies’

Last week Nallakumar told FMT that the temple committee planned to file a suit against HEB and Ramasamy, and probably the state government, if “anyone tried to steal our cemetery.”

In his police report, Nallakumar alleged that Ramasamy and his political aide M Sateesh had tarnished his reputation by claiming that he had misused a 174-acre agricultural land secured under lease for personal business in a PDC open tender, for personal gains.

Nallakumar said Ramasamy and Sateesh had wrongly accused him of failing to fulfill his promises to contribute part of his income from the agricultural activities to the temple.

“I have never promised anything. Neither was there any clause stating that I must contribute to the temple. It’s my personal business.

“They are spreading lies about it merely because of the cemetery issue,” claimed Nallakumar.

MIC Youth leader files death threat reports

In an unrelated development, an MIC Youth leader has also lodged several police reports against Ramasamy and Sateesh over death threats received via SMS and phone calls.

“I have hard evidence that shows M Sateesh and P Ramasamy are behind these threats,” said Kampung Meru MIC Youth chief G Kalaicelvan (pix) today. He is a popular host of a local debate show on Astro called Alaaram.

Kalaicelvan said he started receiving the threats after posing questions on micro-blogging site, Twitter, about DAP’s administration in Penang.

The first SMS threat was received on May 12 May, followed by another one two days later. The most recent threat was received at 1.18 am today.

The threats, in Tamil, were directed at Kalaichelvan, his wife and daughter.

Kalaichelvan has so far lodged three police reports on the threats.

“They (Ramasamy and Sateesh) have resorted to thug mentality,” he said during a press conference at MIC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

“They could have just responded to my tweet queries,” he added.

When contacted, both Ramasamy and Sateesh denied making the death threats and urged Kalaicelvan to lodge a police report.

“I don’t even know who he is,” a surprised Ramasamy said.

Sateesh meanwhile said he would sue Kalaichelvan for defaming him. “I got nothing to do with this. What he is talking about is nonsense. I will take legal action if he implicates me,” he said.