Rawang temple demolition an affront to law, lawyers deny claims by Yayasan Kubra rep

Lawyers decried the midnight demolition of Muniswaran Utchimalai temple in Rawang as an affront to law.

They denied claims by Yayasan Kubra representative Ariff Omar that the temple committee voluntarily removed the deities.

“We strongly deny the claims by Yayasan Kubra representative Ariff Omar today that the temple committee voluntarily removed the deities.

“That is false and ridiculous since the temple chairman lodged a police report only yesterday complaining that the temple was being pressured to vacate the land without any court order,” said Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh in a statement.

They also questioned the demolition that was done during midnight with the assistance from the police.

“There is no justification for executing unlawful eviction action against a place of worship under cover of darkness. Matters implicating religious freedom and communal sensitivity demand judicial oversight – not midnight operations.

“The presence and involvement of the police in facilitating this exercise raise serious concerns as to whether law enforcement has overstepped its neutral mandate and lent institutional weight to a private party’s objective.

“The police have no business interfering in a private dispute between parties.”

The land where the temple was located is owned Yayasan Kubra.

Rajesh and Sachpreetraj said that Yayasan Kubra should have utilised the legal course if they were the rightful of the land.

“If Yayasan Kubra believed that it had lawful entitlement to the land, the proper course is straightforward: obtain an order from the court and execute it transparently in accordance with that order.

“Taking matters into its own hands – particularly in a manner that appears coordinated with state machinery – undermines public confidence in due process.”

ALSO READ: Hindu temple in Rawang demolished at 3 am