He said such a briefing was necessary to explain the actual situation, the role played by the police in dealing with the matter, as well as opportunists who were exploiting the issue by fanning racial sentiments.

“I will inform the Cabinet of the actual situation and the people involved,” he told reporters after attending the ministry’s monthly meeting here.

The issue of allegedly illegal temples gained traction in recent weeks, with several politicians from the Hindu community calling for restraint.

A rally against such temples was set to take place last Saturday but fizzled out after the arrest of several individuals who had planned to proceed with the protest despite orders to cancel it.

Last night, Malaysiakini reported that activist Tamim Dahri had been arrested after demolishing a temple in Rawang.

Tamim, among those who had been at the forefront of campaigning against “illegal” temples, was also nabbed on Saturday ahead of the planned rally.

Saifuddin said the Cabinet briefing tomorrow was to ensure that action taken by the police was not misconstrued or “viewed from a certain perspective”.

He said there were those of the view that action against certain individuals ahead of the planned rally was unlawful, and against the freedom of assembly and speech.

“But police took preventive measures to ensure that the situation did not spiral out of control.

“Freedom of speech does not mean the right to provoke or fan sentiments that can lead to tension between the different races and religions. It has limits,” he said, adding that there were several politicians who were playing up the issue to score brownie points.