He urged the Indian community to be rational in handling the temple issue as “some unscrupulous people are taking advantage of the situation to further complicate the matter by inciting social unrest”.
In a statement today, Waytha said the issue was between the developer of the land where the temple was located and the temple management.
He said it should not be exploited and turned into a racial conflict.
“The attack by unknown people on the One-City Mall last night was uncalled for, unwarranted and can be termed as a provocative act with the aim of disrupting peace and stability enjoyed by Malaysians at large.
“The government will not tolerate this behaviour and I urge the police to take immediate action to curb violence and mob rule undertaken by several groups in the name of safeguarding the temple.”
Waytha urged the temple management committee to manage the crowd which turned up at the temple as it was their responsibility to safeguard devotees who came to the temple after being asked to do so by the temple management.
“This is in light of a group which congregated at the temple late last night and decided to march to the One City Mall, turning rowdy, smashing glass panels of the mall, purportedly owned by the developer of the land where the temple is located.”
He also noted that a fireman was pulled out of the fire truck and beaten by a group of men when firemen were trying to put out a fire set to a car parked outside the temple vicinity late last night.
“This attack against firemen is despicable as they were merely doing their job to ensure the safety of the people in the vicinity of the temple.
“Once again, I call upon the Malaysian Indian community to exercise calm and keep a cool head in addressing the issue.”
He warned that the government would not hesitate to act against those who breached public peace and security.
Earlier today, Selangor police chief Mazlan Mansor said they had detained another four people following the scuffle at the temple in USJ 25, Putra Heights yesterday, bringing the total number of arrests to 21.
Thousands had gathered last night to protest against the temple’s relocation, with the crowd turning unruly for the second night in a row.