KUALA LUMPUR: Police maintain that they used minimal force in dispersing a group of protesters who tried to enter Petaling Street.
Deputy director for commercial crimes unit SAC Roslan Abd Wahid, who monitored the scene, said police had given ample warning and time for protesters to leave.
"This was despite the fact that this particular road was not listed in the permit given to them.
"We understood there were women and children in the group of protesters, so we let them sit and rest a while along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock," he told reporters on Wednesday.
SAC Roslan also said police had allowed three "group leaders" to enter Petaling Street under supervision.
"We took three of them in to see for themselves that there was nothing and no one inside apart from policemen.
"There was no reason for them to demand to go inside, so I cannot answer the question of why they wanted to go in," he said.
On the use of water cannons, SAC Roslan said the authorities had had no other option.
"They tried to breach the barricade, and when they pushed the officers, a few policemen fell and were injured.
"We had to push the protesters back, so some of them further down also fell.
"Protesters who fell picked up water bottles, rocks and traffic cones and threw them in our direction, but some of the items hit fellow protesters in front of us," he added.
SAC Roslan said he had informed Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar of the matter.
Sungai Besar Umno division chief Datuk Jamal Mohd Yunus was brought in to speak to the crowd, and eventually managed to get them to disperse around 7.15pm.
At 7.42pm, police and the Federal Reserve Unit personnel stood down from barricading the entrance to Petaling Street.
SAC Roslan maintained that no arrests had been made.
