Event Summary
On 14 August 2025, S. Arutchelvan, deputy chairperson of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), appeared at IPD Dang Wangi police headquarters for questioning under Sections 353 and 427 of the Penal Code, following a police report alleging injury and phone damage during a scuffle outside Parliament on 13 August. The incident occurred during the submission of a draft Workers’ Housing Scheme Bill, where around 500 protesters were blocked by police. The 13 August assembly was organised by the Plantation Community Support Committee, with Arutchelvan serving as adviser. Video footage shows tensions escalating, with protesters shouting and Arutchelvan falling during the confrontation.
Despite prior notification to authorities and legal provisions under the Peaceful Assembly Act, the police framed the protest as provocation. Civil society actors view the investigation and treatment of Arutchelvan as intimidation, called for the police to drop the investigation and raised concerns about shrinking space for peaceful assembly and advocacy. Protesters who were injured during the scuffle outside Parliament have now indicated that they will file their own police reports. The incident reflects a restrictive enabling environment for civil society, where lawful protest is met with criminal investigation, undermining public participation and democratic engagement.
If the investigation into Arutchelvan escalates into a formal charge under Sections 353 and/or 427 of the Penal Code (criminal force against a public servant and mischief causing damage) it would represent a sharp escalation in the criminalisation of peaceful assembly. By treating protest activity as violent criminal conduct, the authorities would undermine the constitutional right to assemble and weaken the fragile space for democratic participation.