Author: Nantha Kumar
Publication: Freemalaysiatoday.com
Date: November 25, 2011
URL: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/11/25/hrp-decries-%E2%80%98ruthless%E2%80%99-razing-of-temple/
It demands an acre of land in Selangor as
a new site for the Sri Muneswarar Temple.
The Human Rights Party (HRP) has denounced
yesterday's demolishment of a Hindu temple in Glenmarie and demanded from
the Selangor government an acre of land for a new temple.
S Thiagarajan, a pro-tem central executive
committee member of the party, said Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim must take
"full responsibility" for the violation of the Sri Muneswarar Temple
by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) and make amends by granting the acre
of land.
He said he learned of the destruction when
a local resident telephoned him while it was going on. The caller told him
30 police and MBSA officers were using sledgehammers to carry out the demolition.
"A Malay haji sprinkled something around
the shrine and then some 10 uniformed enforcement officers started the ruthless
act," he told FMT.
He added that six Hindu deities were smashed
into pieces.
"The Hindu devotees there could not stop
the bloodletting; they were blocked by policemen," he said.
"This is a clear cut case of the city
council violating Article 11 of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees
freedom of religion, and Article 8, which provides of equality before the
law and equal protection before the law.
"We demand that the state government
allocate one acre of land to the temple committee to build a new temple."
He also said the state should grant permanent
land titles for all Hindu temples in Selangor so that "such flagrant
acts of transgression" would not recur.
