Two Men Arrested for Vandalising Deepavali Kolam

On 24 October, Malaysians came together as a multi-ethnic country to celebrate Deepavali, also known as the Festival of Lights. In conjunction with the celebration, many places and institutions were traditionally decked out with decorations such as ‘kolam’, which uses rice flour to create decorative art. Besides being decorative, they are also heavy in cultural and spiritual significance.

Unfortunately, two men showed blatant disrespect for this tradition. In a recent short clip that went viral, a man wearing a blue baju Melayu, a songkok, and sampin was seen to deliberately step on a kolam at a private hospital in Klang.

Kalau jumpa brother ini, tolong kirim Salam Deepavali. Orang dah susah susah buat kolam, kau pergi kacau. Pakai baju melayu dan songkok tapi perangai macam.... takpe la. Godbless you.#malaysia pic.twitter.com/Z4dqucTcEB
— Balan Kash (@balankash) October 30, 2022

Can’t find the original video but someone reposted

He walked over it several times and even bent down to draw patterns on it with his fingers to damage it while looking at the camera. Another person who recorded the video, was heard laughing and saying the word “vandalism”.

There was an uproar on social media by users who slammed the men’s actions. One Twitter user commented, “Deliberately being malicious by provoking the culture and beliefs of Hindu devotees.”

Sengaja berniat jahat dengan provokasi akan budaya dan kepercayaan penganut Hindu. Harap ada laporan polis dan tindakan undang2 terhadap individu rasis sebegini. Jijik! https://t.co/kcw8i3uvms
— Raz_M (@weareulatbulus) October 30, 2022

The two are believed to be hospital workers and KPJ Healthcare Berhad were quick to issue a media statement on the matter. Their statement read, “KPJ Healthcare does not condone such acts and in no way does it reflect our culture, values, or our practices. We are disheartened by the irresponsible act of these individuals, and they have been suspended pending further investigation. Further to this we have lodged a police report on the matter and will continue to work closely with the relevant authorities on this matter.”

Following that, an investigation was launched by the police, according to the Bandar Baru Klang police station chief. Both the person in the video and the videographer have been arrested after they turned themselves in on Sunday night. They have been remanded for three days.

The case is being investigated under Section 298A of the Penal Code for causing disharmony or disunity.

Image credit: @balankash