5 Indian-origin persons charged over slashing incident in Singapore

Five Singaporeans of Indian origin were charged today with rioting and assaulting an Indian-origin man with deadly weapons in the Little India precinct here.

Victor Alexander Arumugam, Arjun Retnavelu, Haresh Shanmuganathan, Dinesh Kumar Ruvy and Sharvin Raj Suraj, who are aged between 17 and 28, were charged over the slashing incident on Wednesday in Little India that left one man injured.

If found guilty, they can be jailed for up to 10 years and caned, reported Channel News Asia.

Two other men, also Singaporean, have yet to be charged as investigations against them are ongoing.

The men are accused of assaulting Dhines Selvarajah, 26, also of Indian origin.

Arjun, 23, was allegedly armed with a chopper and a baton, while Dinesh, 28, had a machete. Haresh, 22, is said to have punched the victim, while Sharvin, the youngest at 17, allegedly attacked him with a baton. All seven suspects were arrested by the police yesterday.

The incident is believed to have occurred over a personal dispute, according to the report.

Singapore's Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam called the attack "horrific".

This is the first incident in Little India since the December 2013 riot which involved some 300 migrant workers, mostly from India, in what was Singapore's worst violence in decades.