KUALA LUMPUR — Police have received three reports regarding a scuffle between Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) enforcement officers and a balloon hawker in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR) here.
Kuala Lumpur deputy police chief Datuk Azry Akmar Ayob said the first police report was made by a DBKL enforcement officer yesterday, and an investigation paper was opened under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing the duties of a public servant.
The second report was also filed by another DBKL enforcement officer on the same day and pertains to threats made in a Facebook post of a photo of the first officer who lodged the report.
“This case is being investigated under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code / Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998,” he said in a statement today, reported by Bernama.
Azry Akmar said the third report was made by the balloon vendor’s mother, who stated that her son had suffered injuries as a result of the struggle that occurred. For this, police have opened an investigation paper under Section 325 of the Penal Code on voluntarily causing grievous hurt.
A social media video of a balloon seller struggling with enforcement officers has gone viral, drawing backlash against DBKL for the rough way the vendor was handled.
In response to public outcry, DBKL in its first statement yesterday on the incident said it would conduct an internal probe and also review is enforcement standard operating procedures (SOP).
It also said the balloon vendor had been given two warnings against hawking his goods at a congested area, but disobeyed and turned physical on the third warning. DBKL said other plainclothes enforcement personnel intervened to prevent the vendor from further assaulting the first officer.
However, the vendor, 29-year-old Muhamad Za’imuddin Azlan, who is currently in hospital, has denied that he was given three warnings before the scuffle ensued. He also admitted he was hawking balloons without a permit as he did not know how to apply for one. He said this in a video posted to Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim’s Facebook page.
Today, KL Mayor Datuk Seri Dr Maimunah Mohd Sharif said three DBKL enforcement personnel have been temporarily relieved of their duties pending an internal investigation, as well as a police probe.
Meanwhile, Federal Territories PKR chairman Datuk Azman Abidin said the party will help the vendor obtain a hawker’s licence once he recovers.
“We have assured him that once he recovers, he can meet with me, and we (FT PKR) will assist him in obtaining a hawker’s licence,” Bernama reported him saying after a visit to Za’imuddin at the Sultan Idris Shah Hospital.
Expressing sympathy for the vendor, Azman reminded both hawkers and enforcement officers to operate within the framework of the law.
“Many unlicensed vendors simply don’t know how to apply for a permit. That’s why we need to work together with hawkers’ associations and NGOs to assist them, including DBKL, in making the licensing process easier while ensuring they operate in suitable locations,” he said.
Azman also conveyed well wishes from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who advised Muhamad Za’imuddin to remain patient and allow authorities to investigate the matter. — March 30, 2025