Ex-MIC leader wants action against Tamil daily

PETALING JAYA: Former MIC central working committee member S Kumar Aamaan has lodged a complaint against Tamil Nesan, a vernacular daily run by MIC chief S Samy Vellu's family, with the Home Ministry.
In a letter addressed to the ministry's Publication Control and Al-Quran Text Division, Kumar Aamaan said action should be taken against the Tamil daily's editors for playing up racial and religious sentiments in the newspaper.
He said the daily had on numerous occasions over the last four months referred to him as a Muslim, when he was a practising Hindu.
Kumar Aamaan has also submitted similar complaint letters against Tamil Nesan to Selangor Islamic authorities, Malaysia Hindu Sangam and the prime minister's office.
"I am a Hindu by birth. After a while my father divorced my mother and married a Muslim woman. He became a Muslim after that. I was taken care of by my mother after my father went away," he said in the letter sent to FMT today.
"However, the newspaper continues to say that I am a Muslim and I am named as Karim Kumar. This allegation is baseless. It also shows that the newspaper just wants to blow this issue out of proportion by raising the religious angle.
"They are saying that I am a Muslim eventhough they know my background and that I am a practising Hindu. This is character and political assasination," he said.
He also believes that the allegations contained in the Tamil Nesan were done with full knowledge of Samy Vellu since the newspaper was run by the MIC supremo's family, to tarnish his image.
"The allegation is also affecting me as a businessman. I hope the home ministry will investigate this false reporting charge and take appropriate action."
Kumar Aamaan wants the ministry to freeze the publication permit of the newspaper for publishing false reports with the intent of misleading the public, especially the Indian community, on his religious status.
(Kumar Aamaan with several others were thrown out of the party several months ago after calling on Samy Vellu to step down as MIC chief.)
The dismissed leaders then formed GAS (Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu) in a bid to oust the veteran leader from the party top post.
Kumar Aamaan lodged a police report on the matter yesterday evening at the Klang police station.