Contrary to PKR's version, a MIC Youth man claims that obscenities and a flying elbow sparked off the infamous MyKad brawl.
UPDATED
PETALING JAYA: The brawl outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya last week left a PKR leader with a broken cheek bone and MIC nursing a bruised image.
PKR claimed that its Puchong division chief S Murali was a victim of a premeditated attack while MIC Youth accused the former of provoking its members to unleash their clenched fists.
Recounting the incident, a MIC Youth source claimed that tempers began to flare when a member of the PKR delegation, S Gobikrishnan, hurled obscenities at them.
“He insulted the mothers and wives of the MIC Youth members present and this riled them up. At one point, Murali also tore a banner of the prime minister,” the source said.
He also alleged that during the melee, Murali had swung his elbow, which cut a MIC Youth member, and this prompted the retaliation against the former.
This version was in stark contradiction of PKR vice-president N Surendran’s take on the incident.
The PKR leader had denied that his delegation had used profanities or provoked the MIC Youth members.
Vell Paari: There was provocation
Meanwhile, MIC central working committee (CWC) member S Vell Paari also claimed that the MIC Youth members were provoked but declined to reveal details.
“I prefer not to comment on what transpired that morning as the matter is being investigated by the police. Let the police get to the bottom of this,” he told FMT.
It is learnt that MIC Youth chief T Mohan had been summoned to the Putrajaya police station for his statement to be recorded.
On the same note, Vell Paari expressed regret over the incident and admitted that it had tarnished MIC’s image.
“I am sorry for what happened to Murali. He is a good friend. I also don’t deny that the incident has affected MIC,” he said.
On May 2, Surendran had led a PKR delegation to the PMO to submit a memorandum demanding that a 17-year-old student be issued a MyKad.
At the same time, Mohan brought a delegation there to thank the prime minister for issuing identity cards and birth certificates to Malaysian Indians under the MyDaftar programme.
The fracas also sparked off an internal rift in MIC, as several quarters, including Vell Paari, criticised party disciplinary committee chief KS Njihar over his stand on the matter.
Taking the MIC Youth to task, Nijhar had described the incident as disgraceful and vowed that an internal probe would be conducted.
‘Nijhar cannot prejudge’
Commenting on this, Vell Paari said that the disciplinary chief had prejudged the case.
He also questioned how was it possible for a non-party member to tweet, hours after the incident, that a senior CWC member had called on fellow party members to march against Mohan.
“When somebody tweets like that, and the next day Nijhar makes the statement…,” he added.
Vell Paari said that MIC president G Palanivel, who was out of town during the incident, should have called Mohan for an explanation first or asked for a report on the matter.
“And it is the president, secretary-general or information chief who should have made the initial statement. Before all this is done, when you (Nijhar) come out with a statement against the Youth, this is a pre-judgment of the case,” he added.
Furthermore, Vell Paari said that a member of the disciplinary board PK Subayyah had recently passed away.
“Nijhar cannot convene a meeting unless a new member is appointed. Even the Federal Court set aside its decision in a case when a member was absent in part during the hearing,” he said.
Gobikrishnan denies provocation
Meanwhile Gobikrishnan in a statement issued later in the day denied provoking the MIC Youth crowd.
“I did not engage MIC Youth at all on that day. When we arrived for our appointment at 11am on that day, there were already about 250 MIC Youth members and gangsters led by Mohan.
‘They were shouting remarks against Anwar Ibrahim and Surendran,” he said.
He added that he had not even addressed the crowd on that day.
“I was just standing and watching the whole episode… there was no engagement by me against MIC Youth at all on that day,” he said.
UPDATED
PETALING JAYA: The brawl outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya last week left a PKR leader with a broken cheek bone and MIC nursing a bruised image.PKR claimed that its Puchong division chief S Murali was a victim of a premeditated attack while MIC Youth accused the former of provoking its members to unleash their clenched fists.
Recounting the incident, a MIC Youth source claimed that tempers began to flare when a member of the PKR delegation, S Gobikrishnan, hurled obscenities at them.
“He insulted the mothers and wives of the MIC Youth members present and this riled them up. At one point, Murali also tore a banner of the prime minister,” the source said.
He also alleged that during the melee, Murali had swung his elbow, which cut a MIC Youth member, and this prompted the retaliation against the former.
This version was in stark contradiction of PKR vice-president N Surendran’s take on the incident.
The PKR leader had denied that his delegation had used profanities or provoked the MIC Youth members.
Vell Paari: There was provocation
Meanwhile, MIC central working committee (CWC) member S Vell Paari also claimed that the MIC Youth members were provoked but declined to reveal details.
“I prefer not to comment on what transpired that morning as the matter is being investigated by the police. Let the police get to the bottom of this,” he told FMT.
It is learnt that MIC Youth chief T Mohan had been summoned to the Putrajaya police station for his statement to be recorded.
On the same note, Vell Paari expressed regret over the incident and admitted that it had tarnished MIC’s image.
“I am sorry for what happened to Murali. He is a good friend. I also don’t deny that the incident has affected MIC,” he said.
On May 2, Surendran had led a PKR delegation to the PMO to submit a memorandum demanding that a 17-year-old student be issued a MyKad.
At the same time, Mohan brought a delegation there to thank the prime minister for issuing identity cards and birth certificates to Malaysian Indians under the MyDaftar programme.
The fracas also sparked off an internal rift in MIC, as several quarters, including Vell Paari, criticised party disciplinary committee chief KS Njihar over his stand on the matter.
Taking the MIC Youth to task, Nijhar had described the incident as disgraceful and vowed that an internal probe would be conducted.
‘Nijhar cannot prejudge’
Commenting on this, Vell Paari said that the disciplinary chief had prejudged the case.
He also questioned how was it possible for a non-party member to tweet, hours after the incident, that a senior CWC member had called on fellow party members to march against Mohan.
“When somebody tweets like that, and the next day Nijhar makes the statement…,” he added.
Vell Paari said that MIC president G Palanivel, who was out of town during the incident, should have called Mohan for an explanation first or asked for a report on the matter.
“And it is the president, secretary-general or information chief who should have made the initial statement. Before all this is done, when you (Nijhar) come out with a statement against the Youth, this is a pre-judgment of the case,” he added.
Furthermore, Vell Paari said that a member of the disciplinary board PK Subayyah had recently passed away.
“Nijhar cannot convene a meeting unless a new member is appointed. Even the Federal Court set aside its decision in a case when a member was absent in part during the hearing,” he said.
Gobikrishnan denies provocation
Meanwhile Gobikrishnan in a statement issued later in the day denied provoking the MIC Youth crowd.
“I did not engage MIC Youth at all on that day. When we arrived for our appointment at 11am on that day, there were already about 250 MIC Youth members and gangsters led by Mohan.
‘They were shouting remarks against Anwar Ibrahim and Surendran,” he said.
He added that he had not even addressed the crowd on that day.
“I was just standing and watching the whole episode… there was no engagement by me against MIC Youth at all on that day,” he said.
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