KPJ Healthcare Staff & His Friend Arrested For Intentionally Desecrating Deepavali Kolam
The private hospital has since apologised for the employee's behaviour and has since suspended those involved.
By Sadho Ram — 01 Nov 2022, 05:25 PM
Two people have been arrested over a viral video showing one of them stepping on and intentionally desecrating a kolam (also called rangoli), a Hindu auspicious decorative pattern, at a private hospital in Selangor
They were arrested after they presented themselves at the North Klang district police headquarters to have their statements recorded on Sunday night, 30 October, according to ACP Vijaya Rao.
Both have been remanded for three days.
Prior to the arrests, the video of the duo's action had been circulating online over the weekend, showing a KPJ Klang Specialist Hospital staff member clad in baju Melayu and songkok walking over the kolam.
File photo of North Klang district police chief ACP Vijaya Rao.
Image via Polis Daerah Klang Utara (Facebook)The man's actions caused huge public outcry with the incident being investigated for causing disharmony, feelings of enmity, and hatred
Among the many to voice out was MUDA president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who had earlier called for a two-day public holiday for Deepavali to allow Malaysian Indians to celebrate the major Hindu festival.
In a tweet carrying the video, the former youth and sports minister called the man's act of desecrating the kolam "unacceptable behaviour" and urged people to respect every religion and race.
Following the outcry, KPJ Healthcare Berhad issued a statement, saying it has suspended the duo at its Klang Specialist Hospital
In the statement as reported in Free Malaysia Today yesterday, 31 October, KPJ Healthcare said it does not condone such acts, adding that the incident "in no way reflects its culture, values, or practices".
"We would like to publicly apologise to all Malaysians, particularly to the Indian community, with regard to a video that has gone viral over an incident at one of our hospitals. We are disheartened by the irresponsible actions of these individuals and they have been suspended pending further investigation," it added.
Meanwhile, the person who made the kolam and works at the same hospital, expressed his gratitude to Malaysians for their support
In a statement reported by Malay Mail, the person said that he would like to thank every individual who spoke up about the issue, regardless of religion and race, and asked everyone to stay peaceful.
Screenshot of the viral video showing the hospital staff member dececrating the kolam.
Image via @SyedSaddiq (Twitter)