KUALA LUMPUR : A jailmate of detainee M Krishnan who died last Friday while in police custody has lodged a report claiming that the latter was a victim of police brutality.A Sargunan lodged the report against the Bukit Jalil police station at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters.
His lawyer, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, accompanied him to the police station. Also present were Subang MP R Sivarasa, Kapar MP S Manikavasagam and Krishnan’s family’s lawyer N Surendran.
In his report, Sargunan said he was an eyewitness and saw Krishnan being beaten up and denied medical assistance while in the lockup.
The taxi driver from Setapak said on Jan 2, he and four friends, including Krishnan, were arrested by 10 policeman in Cheras. They were brought to the Bukit Jalil police station and were beaten up.
According to Sargunan, while in custody the police made Krishnan lie on the floor on his stomach.
“Policemen with boots jumped on his back until he became weak. When they started kicking him in the chest and stomach, he started vomitting.
“After that almost everyday Krishnan pleaded with the police for medical treatment but was denied help.
“Even the day before he died the police beat him again for seeking treatment,” he said.
Commenting on Sargunan’s statement, Manikavasagam said the report clearly showed that the police were hiding some facts about Krishnan’s death.
He said nine more witnesses were coming forward to lodge reports against police brutality.
“But for now we are waiting for the police’s next coursew of action. We will also send a memorandum to Suhakam (Human Rights Commission of Malaysia) urging it to look into this case,” he said.
Witness protection
Manikavasagam said the police’s refusal to direct the hospital to do a second post-mortem also showed the police to be guilty.
Sivarasa, meanwhile, has demanded that the government give Sargunan full protection.
“We do not want to see the witness threatened by someone to cover up the case,” he said.
Meanwhile, Surendran has slammed Hospital UKM (HUKM) Cheras for harassing the family to immediately take the body of the deceased home.
Early this afternoon, Krishnan’s wife Revathi received a call from HUKM directing her to pick up the body or pay RM30 a day for storage.
Surendran also hit out at the police for “cheating” Krishnan’s family.
“Yes, I said they (police) cheated us. Yesterday, Revathi sent a memorandum to the police for a second post-mortem to find out the cause of her husband’s death.
“The police officer, SAC Razali Basri, who received the memorandum, told the family that he would consult with the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar for permission to order a second post-mortem.
“But at the press conference yesterday, Razali told the family to go to court,” he said.
Last Friday, Krishnan, a father of the six children, was found dead in the lock-up at the Bukit Jalil police station.
According to police, the initial post-mortem results showed the death was related to an ulcer, but Krishnan’s family has disputed this, claiming there were bruises on the body.
According to news reports, Krishnan had bruises all over his back, an open cut wound on his right abdomen, and a bruise on his right eye.
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