Construction worker first to plead guilty to rioting in Little India

SINGAPORE — A construction worker yesterday pleaded guilty to rioting in Little India on Dec 8 last year — the first among 25 men implicated in the case to admit to such a charge.

During the chaos, Ramalingam Sakthivel threw various projectiles at police officers and police vehicles, pushed to flip a police car and hit a Singapore Civil Defence Force ambulance with a pole. A total of 23 emergency vehicles were found damaged at the scene, of which five had been set on fire and were completely gutted. The estimated cost of damage attributed to Sakthivel’s actions amount to S$379,180, court documents showed.

Sakthivel, 33, also admitted to a mischief charge for throwing various burning items into a bus involved in the fatal accident that had sparked the riot. The maximum penalty for rioting is seven years in jail and caning. For mischief, Sakthivel could be jailed up to seven years and fined.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Agnes Chan yesterday urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence of between 30 and 36 months in jail and three to six strokes of the cane on Sakthivel, which would serve as “a stern reminder” to other would-be offenders that violent and disorderly behaviour would be met with severe punishment by the courts.

A disturbance of public order of such enormity, in a country where wanton violence and chaos was virtually unheard of, had the potential to “severely undermine Singapore’s hard-earned status as a safe and law-abiding society”, added the prosecutor.

Sakthivel, described as “an active participant” in the riot, had also showed “utter disregard” for authority, DPP Chan said. After having thrown various projectiles at police officers and damaging the vehicles of the first responders, Sakthivel went in search for a lighter before returning to the bus, where he gathered and lit various ignitable items from the ground and threw them into the vehicle. “His actions were audacious and calculated, and reflected his singular quest to show the authorities that he had absolutely no fear of or regard for them,” said DPP Chan.

But the defence argued that in the five years that Sakthivel has been in Singapore, he has never been on the wrong side of the law. It pointed out that it was “out of character” for the accused to be involved in the riot and that he was remorseful.

Sakthivel will be sentenced on May 8. So far, six have been sentenced for their role in the fracas, while one is on trial.

The cases of the remaining 17 are ongoing. Claire Huang