Temple mob: Beat up the firemen!

Personnel recall being threatened on arrival

SHAH ALAM: Shouts of “don’t put out the fire!” and “beat up the firemen! ( pukul bomba)” greeted fireman Mohd Sharol Anuar Kamarudin as he climbed down from the fire engine on the early morning of Nov 27 last year.

Mohd Sharol and his colleagues, including Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, arrived at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple that morning to answer an emergency call about a fire near the temple.

Relating his experience to an inquest yesterday, Mohd Sharol said he alighted from the fire engine as soon as it came to a halt.

The inquest was set up to look into the death of Muhammad Adib, who was injured in the line of duty that morning.

“I got out and saw three people running towards me, with many others behind them. I was momentarily stunned as I heard shouting, as if in warning.

“They were shouting, ‘don’t put out the fire!’. Then ‘beat up the firemen!’,” he told the coroner’s court yesterday.

He added that while some of those present in the temple that morning were running towards him, others rushed towards the front of the fire engine.

He said he saw a few of those who were coming towards him and the fire engine carrying weapons, including a long, white steel pole, bricks, and what looked like a samurai sword.

Mohd Sharol immediately climbed back into the fire engine, which then started to reverse.

When questioned by lawyer Yahaya Othman, who is representing Muhammad Adib’s family for the inquest, on why he rushed back in, Mohd Sharol said it was because he felt that it was unsafe to be outside.

Yahaya: Would you agree that it was a life-threatening situation for you at that time?

Mohd Sharol: Yes.

The fireman is the seventh witness called to the inquest, held at Shah Alam Sessions Court.

Judge Rofiah Mohamad coroner for the inquest.

Earlier during the day, fellow fireman Muhammad Hazim Rahimi said three teams from the Subang Jaya fire station said they received many calls on Nov 26 and Nov 27 to put out fires near the temple. sits as

He said all the firemen were harassed by rioters when they were at the site.

Recalling his experience that morning, Muhammad Hazim said he was inside the fire engine when the team arrived near the temple at 1.12am to put out a fire.

He said he got out of the fire truck immediately to wheel out the hose reel as he was the nozzleman.

“When I got out, I heard sounds from those in the vicinity. Before I was able to take out the hose reel, I saw people in front of the temple rushing towards the truck.

“I saw someone running and he chased me, while the others went on to attack the fire truck. One person behind him was holding a long object. It looked like a samurai sword,” he said.

Fearing for his safety, as some of the men were carrying objects that could be used as weapons, Muhammad Hazim said he ran to the rear side of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) van that was parked behind the fire truck.

“I opened the door, went in, closed it and hid,” he said.

He said he could hear rioters knocking against the EMRS van while he was inside.

It was also while he was in the van that two helmets were thrown at the rear of the EMRS van, breaking two windows at the back.

He also witnessed the sliding door of the EMRS van coming off the van as it brushed against the fire truck.

Muhammad Hazim stressed that no one was trapped between the EMRS van and fire truck when the two vehicles were side by side.

Yesterday was day four of the inquest.