Malaysia, an Islamic country with 61.3 % of the population practising Islam has very strict laws against blasphemy towards any religion.

Johor police chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said the 29-year-old suspect was arrested at Jalan Bakri in Muar on Friday.

“On Nov 5, a video was posted on social media about the suspect’s statement related to Hinduism, Muslims and the Deepavali festival which could threaten the public peace,” he told a press conference yesterday.

Ayob Khan said the investigation also found that the suspect’s work permit had expired and he had overstayed in the country.

He said the man had been remanded for 14 days for further investigation under Section 505 of the Penal Code, Section 233 the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 and Section 15 (1) (c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

It is very contrasting to see the reaction of Delhi police which according to data released on Friday by the Delhi Police, 281 people were arrested across the city in the 38 days between September 28 and November 4 in 335 cases related to bursting and stocking firecrackers.

Of the 281 arrests this year, 143 people were picked up in 210 cases of bursting crackers and the remaining 138 were caught in 125 cases of illegally selling and supplying crackers. A total of nearly 19,703kg of crackers were seized during the police action in the last 38 days.

Diwali is the biggest festival of Hindus. It celebrates the return of Lord Ram and is celebrated all over the world. Bursting crackers is a significant part of it, and symbolises the victory of light over dark.

The case of northern India is a bit complex as it gets choked by the smoke produced burning of crop residues. This practice is mainly observed by farmers residing in Punjab and Haryana. The central government bought a law against it but it hasn’t been passed because of massive protests allegedly funded by Khalistani forces.