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THE Shah Alam High Court has ordered the exhumation of the grave of Syamsul Haris Shamsudin, a 22-year-old Reserve Officer Training Unit (PALAPES) trainee from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), to allow for a second post-mortem to be conducted.
The decision was delivered by Judge Datuk Bhupindar Singh Gurcharan Singh Preet following an application by the deceased’s mother, Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun, 45.
According to the applicant’s counsel, Datuk Naran Singh, the court instructed that the second autopsy be conducted within 14 days of the exhumation by forensic experts from Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL), with the presence of Datuk Seri Dr Bhupinder Singh — a forensic expert appointed by the applicant — and her representatives.
“The court has also directed that a comprehensive autopsy report be prepared within a reasonable timeframe and submitted to the applicant’s legal team,” he told reporters.
The exhumation process will be carried out with the cooperation of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Islamic Religious Council.
The court was also informed that the applicant had submitted a new affidavit, which included an audio recording allegedly from an individual with knowledge of the events leading to Syamsul Haris’s death. A transcript and a USB copy of the recording were submitted to the court last Saturday as supporting evidence.
Syamsul Haris died on 28 July at Hospital Kota Tinggi after undergoing training at the Inoculation Combat Shooting Range, Army Combat Training Centre (Pulada) in Ulu Tiram. His body was laid to rest the following day at the Kampung Riching Ulu Muslim Cemetery in Selangor.
Speaking after the ruling, Ummu Haiman expressed gratitude and called for transparency in the upcoming investigation.
“Praise be to God, I am thankful for this decision. I would like to thank the court and the Malaysian government for granting my request to exhume my son’s grave and allow for a post-mortem to be carried out.
“My only hope is for this second post-mortem to produce an honest and accurate conclusion, without bias or protection for any party,” she said.
Previously, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin stated that an internal investigation by the Malaysian Armed Forces found no evidence of abuse in the case.
The Shah Alam High Court made the ruling after hearing submissions from three parties — the Inspector-General of Police and Attorney General, who were named as respondents, and Ummu Haiman as the applicant.
Judge Bhupindar Singh noted that the court required time to consider the newly submitted affidavit before delivering the decision. - August 26, 2025