By B Nantha Kumar
KUALA LUMPUR: For the past six months, a tree next to a Chinese restaurant in Taman Sri Selayang has been attracting a steady stream of Hindu devotees and curious onlookers.
This is because a formation of the Hindu elephant-faced God, Lord Ganesha, had appeared on the tree trunk.Following this, the tree evolved into a mini shrine with devotees bringing flower garlands and offering milk.
According to a report in Tamil daily Malaysia Nanban today, Lord Ganesha had appeared in the restaurant owner's dream several months before the formation happened.
The report added that since then, the owner used to perform daily prayers at the tree before opening his shop and others began to follow suit.
However, residents were mortified to learn that the formation had been 'chopped off' yesterday.
Councillor: No directive issued
The report said a team of enforcement officers from the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) came to the area around 1pm and one of them proceeded to hack the tree with a parang, much to the shock of the lunch crowd.
Another Tamil daily Makkal Osai published photographs, taken with a mobile phone, depicting the enforcement officer hacking the tree.
Following this, local MIC members and residents expressed outrage and disappointment with the move. Armed with palcards, they also staged a brief protest.
Contacted today, MPS councillor R Gopalan Krishnan said the officer, identified only as Zaidin, has been slapped with a suspension.
He told FMT that no directive was issued by the council for the removal of the tree.
“He acted on his own and has accepted responsibility. We have suspended him pending an inquiry. We will forward a report on this matter to state executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar.
“I hope this will not happen again,” he added.
