More than 50 graves at the Ladang Bukit Raja (Boon Hean) Hindu cemetery in Klang have been destroyed in the development of the West Coast Expressway from Banting to Taiping, residents said.

Family members of those buried there discovered tombstones removed and the graves destroyed when they visited the graves of their loved ones last week.

Mutiara Bukit Raja community head S Kamaravel said no notice was given to the family members of those buried there on the destruction of the graves.

"This is something that is very sensitive and can cause racial strife. The developers should have met with us, or with the priest in the neaby temple, before destroying the graves," Kamaravel said.

It is still not clear if the graves were actually removed or if the construction was done on top of the graves, after the tombstones were removed.

Kamaravel said family members had earlier been told that the construction of the highway would take place next to the cemetery.

"A meeting should have taken place before any such development. We hope a meeting can now be called so that this will not escalate into anything untoward," he said.

Malaysiakini's checks indicated that the developer had encroached into the cemetery, which is located some 50 metres from the main construction site in the Kota Anggerik constituency.

A site supervisor there refused to respond to media queries.

It is understood that the cemetery is located on land belonging to Sime Darby Plantation, and is for the use of residents from Ladang Boon Hean, Ladang Sungai Rasa, Ladang Bukit Raja, Ladang Sungai Binjai, Ladang New Eskadale, Ladang Kilang Kelapa Sawit and Ladang Harpandan.

The cemetery was set up in 1957, residents said.

When contacted by Malaysiakini, the developer of the WCE has denied demolishing the graves.