News
M'sian radio DJs under govt investigation for allegedly mocking Thaipusam ritual
The trio have apologised and been suspended.
March 05, 2025, 11:16 AM
Three Malaysian radio DJs have been suspended after a video of them appearing to mock Hindu religious practices was posted to social media.
The DJs are also under an investigation by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
What happened
The video shows one of the radio hosts in what appears to be a radio studio, Azad Jasmin, dancing in front of several people while some were chanting "Vel Vel".
The chant invokes the Hindu deity Lord Murugan, "Vel" being the name of the divine spear he wields.
Lord Murugan is a prominent Hindu deity among Malaysia's Tamil Hindu community.
A large statue of him and his spear stands in front of Malaysia's Batu Caves.
Statue of Lord Murugan at Malaysia's Batu Caves. Image via Wikipedia
The Malay Mail said that Azad's dance was interpreted as mocking "Hindu devotees enter(ing) a trance", usually during Thaipusam celebrations.
'Brainless' mockery
MalaysiaKini reported that the video was posted on the Malaysian radio station Era FM's TikTok account.
Era FM is owned by Malaysian media conglomerate Astro.
The video has now been taken down but it was downloaded and re-uploaded by others, such as Facebook user Siva Shanker.
Shanker shared a version of the video decrying the use of the sacred "Vel Vel" chant as a source of humour and mockery, calling for Era FM's management to issue a public apology.
The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) on Mar. 4 urged the Malaysian government to take action against the station.
MIC's deputy president M Saravanan called the video "brainless" and called for a public apology.
He said that Era FM "should know better" and that the staff had "proven themselves to be utterly unfit to work in the media industry".
Saravanan, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tapah in Perak, said that the video was "not humour, but an act of mockery" and that insulting a religion was also a threat to national unity".
Full explanation
That 'threat to national unity' appears to be taken seriously by Malaysia's communications ministry.
Minister Fahmi Fadzil said that the incident would be investigated by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
The Malay Mail reported that Fahmi had told the MCMC to conduct a detailed investigation and would summon Astro and Era FM's management at its headquarters to provide a full explanation".
Fahmi said in a statement that this is "to ensure that action can be taken based on existing regulations and laws".
Digital minister Gobind Singh Deo was more pointed in his critique, calling the radio hosts' "antics" "highly offensive and deeply concerning".
The Malay Mail reports that by the afternoon of Mar. 4, three Era FM radio hosts, including Azad, had been suspended.
The trio, hosts of Era FM's morning show, apologised via a video posted to the station's Instagram account, saying that they apologised to "all parties" for their "antics" and their "mistake", which they "did unknowingly".
Top image via Siva Shanker/Facebook, Era FM/Instagram
