Indian-origin man faces assault charge over alleged knife attack in Singapore

Michael Nganasekaran, 39, faces one count of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon to assault Shanmugam Vegatachalam, 40, in Hindoo Road on Saturday, police said.

An Indian-origin Singaporean man has been charged in a court here for allegedly attacking a compatriot with a knife, according to police.

Michael Nganasekaran, 39, faces one count of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon to assault Shanmugam Vegatachalam, 40, in Hindoo Road on Saturday, they said.

The victim suffered a 2-cm cut on his left shoulder.

If found guilty, Michael can be fined or jailed for up to seven years or caned, or any combination of the three.

In a press release issued on Sunday, the police said that preliminary investigations showed that Michael was believed to be involved in a dispute with Vegatachalam and used a knife to attack him.

Through ground inquiries and with the aid of images from cameras, police officers identified Michael and arrested him within eight hours of the incident, it said.

Speaking via a Tamil interpreter in court on Monday, Michael, who is unrepresented, said he did not intentionally cause hurt to the victim, who also had a knife in his hand.

Michael said he was also injured in the incident. He told the court that there was a third person involved in the incident, and that the other two men were armed with a knife each.

The court granted permission for Michael to be remanded for investigations, and he will return to court next Monday.