In a Facebook post today, he said such actions clearly overstep the boundaries of the law and can threaten national harmony.

“I repeat: the legality of a house of worship falls under the authorities’ jurisdiction, according to the law, and is not decided by the public or those with political interests. Actions also cannot be taken based on emotion,” he said.

Speaking to FMT, Papparaidu said such efforts were likely the work of “certain extremists” seeking to play up racial and religious tensions, likely due to the upcoming state elections.

He noted that NGO Malaysian Indian Voice had lodged a police report against activist Tamim Dahri for stating on Facebook his intention to buy a backhoe to demolish illegal temples.

“I thank the police for taking their statements and urge the Attorney-General’s Chambers to consider appropriate action against anyone working to incite public tensions,” he said.

On Monday, Papparaidu had called on the public and NGOs not to freely label temples as illegal, saying the authorities examined all such matters based on the provisions of the law and current policies, as well as local social considerations.

He said temples should not be equated with illegal structures, such as sheds or stalls, as they were holy houses of worship.

“As a religious society, we should not negatively label houses of worship,” he said.