By Nelson Benjamin

KLUANG, MALAYSIA: The Kluang MIC division leader has been hospitalised for three days now after he was kicked in the jaw by a branch leader during a meeting.

S. Thenarasoo, 50, was chairing the meeting to discuss party matters with 34 branch leaders at about 3.30pm when one of them brought up a personal matter.

Thenarasoo told him that it was not the forum to discuss the matter believed to be related to the allocation of land to certain people in the district.

Suddenly, another branch leader threw a mineral water bottle at him, which he ducked.

The branch leader who had posed the question then rushed to the front, jumped on to the table and kicked Thenarasoo in the jaw.

Thenerasoo, who is a municipal councillor, said he immediately left the meeting.

After lodging a police report he went to the hospital.

Thenerasoo said that he had sent a report to the state MIC headquarters on the matter and hoped that severe disciplinary action would be taken.

"We cannot condone hooliganism. During the meeting, there were others who uttered verbal abuses at me," he said.

He added that assault was the first since he became chairman three years ago.

Asked what prompted the attack, Thenarasoo said it was an internal party matter. He said he was now living in fear especially for his family, who had also lodged a police report.

Johor MIC chief Datuk K.S. Balakrishnan said such an incident should not have happened and he would leave it to the party headquarters to make a decision.

"It is up to them to suspend or sack the branch chairman," he said when contacted.

Kluang OCPD Asst Comm Fawzi Arshad said police were investigating the case under Section 323 of the Penal Code for causing hurt.