{
  "id": 3365627,
  "title": "Kuil di Kangar diroboh walau ada ‘jaminan’ MB, saman sivil difailkan",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/kuil-di-kangar-diroboh-walau-ada-jaminan-mb-saman-sivil-difailkan",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-25T22:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/08/26/kuil-di-kangar-diroboh-walau-ada-jaminan-mb-saman-sivil-difailkan"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kuil Sri Veeramakaliamman di Kangar was robbed on August 20. After the incident, questions arose and accusations were made by the temple's committee that the Perlis government had given a time limit until the end of the year to resolve the issue. The committee explained that they had no objection to the relocation of the temple, but rather wanted to continue discussions with the state government to identify the suitable replacement site before any action was taken. P Sathesh Kumar, the ringleader, stated that the committee had met with the Chief Minister Abu Bakar Hamzah several times and received assurances that further discussions would continue. Abu Bakar had also assured during a dialogue session on July 14 that no action would be taken against the temple until December 31, while efforts to find a solution were ongoing. The committee shared a video of the dialogue, showing Abu Bakar making the relevant assurances. However, just before dawn on August 20, heavy equipment arrived at the site and the temple structure was demolished. Sathesh expressed surprise at this action, as he believed the ongoing discussions with the state government were still taking place. He alleged that when he contacted Abu Bakar during the restoration work, the Chief Minister was unaware of the intervening restoration action. The temple committee subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against the Perlis government, Kangar Land Office, and Kangar Municipal Council. Sathesh said the lawsuit was filed on August 19, one day before the restoration operation, but the temple committee had not yet received a court order to halt the action while the committee members arrived. Sathesh stressed that the temple was not a temporary structure, but had been used by the local Hindu community for decades, with daily prayer ceremonies. According to Sathesh, the temple committee had been dealing with Perlis authorities for decades regarding the temple's status and had previously received approval for restoration work before this incident. The state government was reportedly told that the temple was built on government land without proper permission, and the restoration action was taken following complaints and several dialogue sessions over the years. FMT contacted the Chief Minister and land department for a response.",
  "summary": "Kuil Sri Veeramakaliamman dirobohkan pada 20 Ogos walaupun jawatankuasa dakwa MB beri jaminan tiada tindakan diambil tahun ini.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Kuil di Kangar diroboh walau ada ‘jaminan’ MB, saman sivil difailkan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/kuil-di-kangar-diroboh-walau-ada-jaminan-mb-saman-sivil-difailkan-3369545",
        "published": "2026-08-25T22:30:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}