'Singh is King' mobbed MP claims assault

A day after proclaiming that 'Singh is King', DAP veteran Karpal Singh finds himself mobbed by a group of angry Umno Youth members at the Parliament lobby.

This followed Karpal's accusation yesterday that the 'celaka' (damn) Umno Youth was responsible for the death threat and live bullets he had received via mail last week.

Karpal had also warned Umno Youth not to play games with him and likened himself to the recent Bollywood blockbuster 'Singh is Kinng'.

At about 2.30pm, the wheelchair-bound politician was surrounded by about 30 Umno Youth members, who prevented him from entering the Dewan Rakyat.

Karpal then telephoned fellow DAP MP Fong Po Kuan, who arrived with a 'rescue team' comprising DAP MPs to save their chairperson.

During the ensuing drama, which saw a little shoving and pushing, DAP MP for Segambut Lim Lip Eng claimed that he was assaulted.

According to Lim, he was hit a number of times on the face and his body.

The opposition parliamentarians also complained that security personnel did not intervene until they made noise.

In an immediate reaction, House speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia expressed regret over the incident, which he said was a first in Parliament.

The speaker added that he would ask the Home Ministry to investigate the matter and vowed that such incidents would not recur.

Meanwhile, a defiant Karpal later declared: "I might be in a wheelchair but I will not be cowed or intimidated by anyone."

BN Backbenchers Club chairperson Tiong King Sing later told reporters that all 22 members of the unruly crowd have been arrested by the police from Bukit Aman.

However, this could not be confirmed with the police.

He also apologised to Karpal over the incident and said that he would urge the speaker to limit the entry of political party supporters into the House.