Lim, who had previously urged Mohamad Fuzi Harun to take action against those responsible for the incident, said all eyes were now on the newly-minted top cop.
“If Fuzi as the new IGP cannot act professionally without fear or favour against an MIC deputy minister, how can Malaysians expect him to act professionally against other even more unreasonable deputy ministers, not to mention full ministers, or the deputy prime minister or prime minister if they flagrantly take the law into their own hands?” he said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Saravanan was alleged to have brought some 80 to 100 MIC members to the Tamil Malar newspaper office along Jalan Ipoh.
Saravanan reportedly said he had met the Tamil Malar managing director to settle issues pertaining to two news reports.
The reports which were published last Sunday and on Tuesday had questioned the rental accounts for the Wilayah MIC building along Jalan Lumut and another MIC building situated along Jalan Ipoh, belonging to Selangor MIC.
Things apparently became heated when K Saraswathy, the legal adviser for the Tamil news daily, asked why there were thugs surrounding the office staff.
Speaking to FMT, Saraswathy claimed a man had pushed her to the ground and later punched her on the hand and shoulder.
Saravanan however said the allegations against him were baseless and denied bringing gang members to the office.
He said his visit to the office was a courtesy call to clarify reports regarding the rental income.
In his statement, Lim said he and several other DAP representatives had visited the Tamil Malar office yesterday.
The Gelang Patah MP said they had met with eyewitnesses and heard Saraswathy’s account of the alleged assault against the office personnel, along with that of Tamil Malar executive editor S M Periasamy.
Lim added that he had seen CCTV footage of the incident, which he said tallied with Sarawathy’s account.
“It is not possible for Saravanan to claim otherwise, unless he welcomes a public inquiry into the Tamil Malar assault,” he said.
The DAP parliamentary leader said Saravanan should tender an immediate apology, adding that MIC president Dr S Subramaniam could no longer remain silent on the matter.
He also reiterated his call for Prime Minister Najib Razak to sack or suspend Saravanan as deputy minister before leaving to meet US President Donald Trump.
This would demonstrate Najib’s “zero tolerance” for acts of gangsterism involving his ministers and deputy ministers, he said.
Brawl at Tamil daily office: Lim wants IGP, Subra to act against gangsters
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