Compiled by C. ARUNO, R. ARAVINTHAN and BENJAMIN LEE
THE Batu Caves temple management has begun preparing the Sungai Batu riverbank near the temple for the use of devotees during the upcoming Thaipusam festival, Malaysia Nanban reported.
Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam chairman Tan Sri R. Nadarajah said the management has invited Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and other leaders to attend the festival.
Millions of devotees as well as tourists are expected to visit Batu Caves during the festival period, said Nadarajah.
He said the committee is determined to ensure that devotees and visitors have a good experience during Thaipusam and have commenced preparation work.
He urged devotees and visitors to play their role in ensuring the cleanliness of the area as a mark of respect for the festival.
> The Tamil Nadu state government has been criticised for locking up Opposition party demonstrators in a barn, Malaysia Nanban also reported.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s women’s wing held a protest in front of Anna University’s Chennai campus to demand justice for a female student sexually assaulted on the campus grounds.
Police have arrested a suspect, but Opposition parties have accused Chief Minister MK Stalin’s government of trying to shield someone linked to the party.
The protesters were arrested and allegedly detained in a building used to keep goats.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
