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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Nervous guards as MPs hold tell-all presser: 61 injuries but cops say NO ONE hit detainee

Nervous guards as MPs hold tell-all presser: 61 injuries but cops say NO ONE hit detainee
In a press conference marred by overzealous security personnel at Parliament, Pakatan Rakyat leaders demanded action from Home Minister Zahid Hamidi over what appears to be the next explosive death in police custody case in Malaysia.
"This is one of the worst cases of torture-beatings that I have seen. The police and the Home Minister cannot pretend that nothing happened. They must take immediate action and give justice to this family," MP for Padang Serai N Surendran told a press conference at the Parliament lobby on Tuesday.
He was referring to the death of 42-year-old P Karuna Nithi, a factory supervisor. Karuna had surrendered himself to the police after allegedly hitting his wife and was duly remanded for 4 days.
He died on June 1 while in the police lockup, with the post-mortem report concluding the cause of death as being "fatty change in liver". Yet in the same post-mortem report, it was also stated that Karuna had suffered 61 injuries on his body.
Nonetheless, despite the obvious discrepancy, police officials have been adamant "no one laid a hand on him".
"He was not a smuggler or anything. This was a family matter, why did the police have to hit him. This is the main thing we want to know," said his sister-in-law, who was also present at the press conference along with Karuna's older brother and his mother.
"There can be no dispute that he was severely tortured and beaten in police custody. Yet the cause of death can be listed as this and until today, no police officer has been arrested or charged," said Surendran.
Laughing police
Karuna's family had visited him at the Tampin lockup a day after his arrest on May 28 and according to them, he had looked healthy. "He was fine," said his brother Elam.
On June 1, at 9.45pm, Elam said he received a call from the police saying that Karuna had died in the evening at around 6.30pm.
"They (police at the lockup) were laughing, we were hurting but they kept laughing and saying that nobody beat him," said his sister-in-law.
MP for Subang, Sivarasa Rasiah who was also at the presser warned the Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar and the Attorney General Gani Patail to not delay investigations, otherwise they could be held liable for covering up what could be a murder case.
“You are collectively covering up a serious crime. We have a criminal justice system that has not worked,” said Sivarasa, adding that Karuna’s case justified "culpable homicide" charges.
Overzealous guards
Meanwhile, as the press conference was proceeding, security personnel at the Parliament lobby who usually maintain a discreet distance were quick to make their presence felt.
Citing a recent ruling disallowing non-MPs from holding press conferences at Parliament, the guards barred Karuna's family from sitting with the MPs. All three of Karuna's immediate family including his aged mother had to stand throughout the session which lasted nearly 45 minutes.
The guards also made it difficult for the Opposition media including Malaysia Chronicle to videotape the session especially when Karuna's family spoke up and criticized the authorities.
Lambasting the over-zealousness, Surendran said he would table a motion to protest the barrage of rules placed by the parliamentary authorities, which included a strict dress code. According to Surendran, such rules would only deter the ordinary citizens from participating in their own Parliament.
"This Parliament belongs to the rakyat (people) not to the elitist BN. If a fisherman wants to come to Parliament, do you expect him to spend money to buy a tie and long sleeves," said Surendran.
Shahidan's promise to make Parliament "more friendly"
The small crowd that built up at the Karuna press conference attracted the attention of Minister in Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim, who is also in charge of Parliament.
Shahidan helped to defuse the tension created by the guards' unfriendliness. He shook hands with the Karuna family and promised to make the "environment more friendly".
However, it remains to be seen - once away from the flashlights of the cameras - how much political will can the former Perlis chief minister really infuse into pushing for what should actually be a fundamental - a healthy environment at the Malaysian Parliament for all the rakyat, regardless of political affiliation.
Malaysia Chronicle

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