The police will take stern action against any individual who issues statements touching on religious and racial sensitivities in relation to the altercation in front of a surau in Taman Austin Perdana here on Friday.

Home Deputy Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said reports on statements related to the issue would be submitted to the Bukit Aman''s Special Investigation Unit to facilitate investigations.

"The police will take action against any individual who issues provocative statements after all evidences are gathered. They may claim the social networking site is being hacked by others but we will continue to investigate to truth.

"The police have been giving warnings from time to time but they often went unheeded and were ridiculed. Although society boasts that social networking sites supposedly made them smarter, action will be taken if it is misused.

"Therefore, I advise the public to adhere to police instructions and warning," he told reporters after officiating the 56th Annual General Meeting of the Johor Ex-Policemen Association at the Johor Bahru police headquarters here today.

According to Nur Jazlan, swift action by the Johor police had prevented the incident from being manipulated by political parties which might have turned the situation into a racial or religious issue.

Meanwhile, Johor police chief Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd said as of today, three reports were received on provocative statements which touched on religious and racial sensitivities related to the altercation.

Last Friday''s incident went viral on social media via a 10-minute video clip which showed a group of angry men damaging a car and attacking its driver - believed to have earlier honked repeatedly - while a congregation performed Friday prayers.

-- BERNAMA