Devotee allegedly starts fight with temple volunteer after misunderstanding
A devotee, believed to be rushing to offer the first incense, accidentally fell and blamed a temple volunteer for tripping him. This led to a scuffle where multiple individuals apparently attacked the volunteer, even using burning incense sticks.
The incident took place in the early hours of Jan 29, the first day of Chinese New Year, at the Yang Tao Yuan Sheng Hong Temple in Pandan Gardens.
Temple manager Su Baozhang explained to Shin Min Daily News that the temple was conducting its annual New Year blessing ritual when the altercation happened.
Volunteers were stationed to maintain order as worshippers gathered outside the main hall.
"This is our yearly tradition. Internal members complete the ritual first before opening the area for public incense offerings. At the time, about 1,000 devotees were waiting at the temple entrance," he said.
According to Mr Su, a man who appeared to be in his mid-30s was standing at the front of the crowd, with incense sticks in his hands.
"He was eager to be the first and stood very close. His incense smoke was blowing into the volunteer's face, so the volunteer asked him to step back, but he refused," Mr Su explained.
The volunteer, 41-year-old Huang, recalled: "Since the public was not yet allowed inside, I used my body to block him. But he charged forward, colliding with a volunteer and knocking over and breaking a donation box. Both he and another volunteer fell to the ground."
Mr Huang said the man wrongly accused him of intentionally tripping him.
"The moment he got up, he punched me. Then two other men joined in. I didn't retaliate and just blocked their attacks with my hands. One of them eventually realised I wasn't fighting back and tried to stop the others."
Mr Huang sustained minor injuries, with redness on his forehead, but did not require medical attention.
A video of the incident shows the devotee's two companions also pushing and hitting Mr Huang. One of them struck him with a burning incense stick, causing sparks to fly.
Almost a week after the altercation, the man returned to the temple to apologise.
Mr Su said: "After reviewing the situation, we decided to make a public post on Facebook and invite those involved to contact us if they wish to explain their side of the story. The man came to the temple on Feb 4.
"Although he initially had a defensive attitude, he eventually admitted he was wrong to resort to violence and apologised on behalf of his companions. I suggested that he personally apologise to the affected volunteer, and he agreed."