A 31-year-old man was sentenced to three-and-a-half years' jail and nine strokes of the cane on June 30, 2021, for trying to burn down a police post in Boon Keng.

The incident at Kallang Neighbourhood Police Post, located on the first floor of Block 105 Towner Road, occurred in March 2020.

The man had also vandalised the walls near the police post.

He wrote, “F*** PAP” and “ISIS”, and ended up starting a fire outside the police post and smashing its panels.

Delusional disorder

Sivaprakash Mailravanan, a safety officer, was suffering from a delusional disorder when he committed the acts.

The psychiatrist report said he had a “manifestly excessive preoccupation” with the plight of the underprivileged.

This manifested into an issue of delusional proportions and turned into an enduring hatred for the Singapore government.

The accused could be a potentially dangerous man if he rejoins society untreated, the psychiatrist report also noted, and the public needs to be protected if he does not accept his behaviour stems from a disorder.

About the incident

Court documents stated that Sivaprakash developed an interest in social affairs in 2009.

In January 2020, he wanted to stage a protest to express his deep resentment.

He was convinced that the Singapore government's policies were unfair and favoured the rich, and that the authorities were overly restrictive.

He initially wanted to distribute flyers, but then felt they would not work well.

So, he then decided to burn down a police station and smash police cars, and then give a speech to the crowd, and air his grievances in court after he is arrested.

His plan even included where the police cars can park and where to place his speakers.

But he subsequently changed his plan.

He decided to create explosions by burning aerosol deodorant cans, as he did not want to affect the residents living above the police post if it burned down.

Night of attack

Sivaprakash drank eight cans of beer before going to the police post in a lorry at about 11pm.

He extracted diesel from the lorry into two 2L plastic bottles, and moved items from his home and lorry over five trips.

Sivaprakash was spotted by his brother and questioned.

He lied that he was going for reservist, but told the truth eventually.

His brother and his friend, Ravi Kumar Sharma, tried but failed to talk Sivaprakash out of going through with his plan.

Ravi Kumar then followed Sivaprakash to the police post.

Used axe to smash glass

Sivaprakash started by smashing glass panels at the police post using an axe.

He then placed a suitcase containing clothes and the deodorant on the pavement about 3m away from the entrance of the police post.

He set the material on fire using a lighter after pouring fuel over it.

There were at least two explosions as a result.

This was followed by at least 16 more explosions after he tried to make the fire bigger by adding more suitcases and two mattresses.

The police received 56 calls from members of the public.

The only person who got hurt was Sivaprakash, who sustained superficial burns on his face and finger.

What court heard

“While he did not personally support the said terrorist group, the accused spray painted ‘ISIS’ on the said pillars of the HDB void deck knowing that this would create terror and alarm to those who witnessed this,” the deputy public prosecutor told the court.

“He did this to signal to the government that backlashes may ensue from those the accused perceived to be poor and oppressed.”

The court also heard that the public needs to be protected from Sivaprakash and that he became “mentally disturbed” after his marriage broke down.

District Judge Kessler Soh agreed with the prosecutor’s submission and said that the proposed sentence of three-and-a-half years jail considering the gravity of the offence committed. 

Penalties

For committing the offence of mischief by fire, the penalty could have been jail of up to seven years and a fine. 

For vandalism, the penalty could have been jail for up to three years or a fine of up to S$2,000, on top of between three and eight strokes of the cane.

Under the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act, the penalty could have been jail of up to another five years with at least six strokes of the cane.

Top photos via Mothership reader