Three Indian-origin men charged in Singapore

Three Singaporean men of Indian origin were charged Saturday for offences during a Tamil Thaipusam religious festival procession earlier this month, Channel NewsAsia reported.

Ramachandra Chandramohan, 32, was charged on seven counts, the most among the three accused, including disorderly conduct and voluntarily hurting a police officer. He was asked to surrender his passport.

Another accused, Jaya Kumar Krishnasamy, 28, faces three charges, including voluntarily obstructing a police officer in the discharge of his public functions, while 33-year-old Gunasegaran Rajendran was charged on two counts, including behaving in a disorderly fashion and with the deliberate intention to hurt the religious feelings of a police officer.

All the three accused were represented in court by the same lawyer. Their cases have been adjourned and all three are currently out on bail and will have to appear again in court Mar 6.

Ethnic Indians constitute nine percent of Singapore's total population of nearly six million, making them the third largest ethnic group in the country after the Chinese and Malays.