Kedah deputy speaker Azmi Che Husain has refuted claims circulated online that he and his sons, insulted and attacked a man and his girlfriend in the middle of traffic, in Alor Setar last week.

"I was trying to break up the fight, but I was punched instead," lamented the deputy speaker who alleged that he was the one assaulted by the youth, in a fight in front of Aman Central on the evening of May 15, reports Malay daily Sinar Harian.

Yesterday, a 33-second long video clip posted by Facebook user Adam Hoonigan depicting the scuffle between a man and three other individuals in the middle of the road, purportedly including Azmi, became viral on social media.

The video appears to be shot be a mobile device through glass windows from inside a building across the road. However, it did not provide a clear picture of what happened, though it can be seen that at least four persons were involved in a scuffle.

In a written statement along with the video, Adam, who claimed to be the person beaten up by Azmi and his sons, related that while driving in front of Aman Central, the driver of the car carrying Azmi suddenly started to verbally berate him.

Claiming that he ignored the tirade, Adam alleged that the car then stopped next to him at a traffic light and Azmi went out to verbally assault him before things turned physical as the deputy speaker purportedly assaulted him and two of his boys then joined in beating him up and his girlfriend who tried to help.

Adam however said that he did not know that it was Azmi that was involved until a friend of his father's told him that the deputy speaker was the person he claimed beat him up.

He said that he had lodged a police report on the matter, attaching a copy of the report in the comments section.

'Rude gestures'

Relating his side of the story to the Malay daily, Azmi related that before the incident occurred, the man who claimed that he was beaten up displayed rude gestures to his son, who was driving the vehicle he was in.

He claimed that the person who provoked his son then continue to shower his son with verbal abuse.

"I was in the car at the moment along with two other sons. When I saw what was happening, I left the car to ask why he did that to my son.

"However when questioned, he resorted to berating me. My Salam (greeting) to him was not even answered," he told the paper.

Azmi, who is also the Bayu assemblyperson, said that the man then reacted more aggressively by getting out of his car and kicked him until he fell.

"My two other sons who were in the car then got out to defend me from getting beaten up further. No one would only watch their father beaten up before their very eyes.

"Thus a struggle ensued between the three, I was trying to break up the fight, but I was punched by the man instead," he said.

He further alleged that the man in question also tried to twist the the situation by accusing him and his sons of punching his girlfriend in the chest and both arms.

He said that what happened was what not like what the man alleged. He claimed instead that the woman sustained injuries after being shoved into his car by the man involved.

Azmi claimed that the misunderstanding over the incident which went viral, was the product of those who planned to damage his political image.

Without disclosing the identities of the ones involved, he asserted he knew who were trying to tarnish his image with the incident.

"The incident occurred complete with a camera recording, it is as if something is wrong.

"Allah will be with those who are in the right, I have faith in His promise," said Azmi.

However, he said that the matter has become the subject of a police investigation.

"I will lodge a police report after I was slandered. Prior to this, the case was not reported because I was just breaking up the fight," he said.

Meanwhile, Kota Setar police chief Mohd Rozi Jidin said that the complainant made the police report on the day of the incident, and did not know who that the other party was an assemblyperson until it became viral on social media.

The matter is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing grievous hurt.