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Second post-mortem results very different: lawyer

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 29, 2009): The second post-mortem carried out on lock-up detainee A. Kugan who died in police custody last week is said to differ significantly in its findings.

Lawyer N.Surendran, who is representing the family of the deceased, said today the post-mortem report was not comprehensively ready as several tests are still being done.

He declined to reveal details of the preliminary findings of the post-mortem except that it was significantly different from that conducted initially at the Serdang Hospital soon after Kugan's death.

He said the report will be submitted to the relevant authorities when it is ready.

Earlier, Surendran and Kapar MP S.Manikavasagam lodged a police report at the Brickfields police headquarters against Selangor police chief DCP Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar for allegedly making inaccurate and false statements to the media pertaining to the case.

Manikavasagam said Khalid's allegations of trespass and tampering of the body by the family and others who turned up at the mortuary the day Kugan died were untrue.

He said he had proof in the form of a CD and had showed the video footage to the investigating officer who is probing the report lodged by a mortuary attendant at the hospital.

"The investigating officer came to my office to record a statement from me earlier today and he was shocked on seeing the video footage. It clearly showed a hospital attendant opening the doors and gesturing to us to enter the place to see the body. There was neither any forcible entry nor did anyone threaten hospital authorities or tamper with the body.

The investigating officer agreed with me that no offence of trespass had been committed," he said.

Surendran also expressed regret over media reports today which quoted Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar labelling Kugan a criminal and that he should not be made a hero.

"Kugan's family is upset over this statement. As a minister, he should be more familiar with the law. A suspect is presumed innocent until proven otherwise and Kugan did not have any criminal record nor was he ever charged in court," said Surendran.

He also said Syed Hamid Albar's other statement that raising such issues could spark racial unrest and hence should be avoided did not make any sense as it appears that only he was getting racial over the matter.

"Such incidents are happening to dozens regardless of race and that's what we are concerned about. Everybody regardless of race is concerned over this incident," said Surendran.

Manikavasagam said it was the police who turned Kugan into a hero by their actions.

"The police should be protecting and if they need to take action then charge the suspect in the court of law," said Manikavasagam.

Charles Ramendran
The Sun
30/01/09

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