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SHAH Alam High Court Judge Datuk Bhupindar Singh Gurcharan Singh Preet ruled on Tuesday that the exhumation must be supervised by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and carried out within 14 days of commencement.
The specific date and time for the exhumation will be determined by the IGP.
The High Court had earlier today granted an order for the exhumation of the grave of Syamsul Haris Shamsudin, a cadet from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) Reserve Officers Training Unit (Palapes), to enable a second post-mortem following his death during military training in July.
“The effort to obtain the exhumation order has succeeded. Now, our focus is on follow-up actions by the IGP and other relevant bodies, such as the religious authorities,” said the family’s lawyer, Datuk Naran Singh. “We hope the exhumation can be done as soon as possible.”
Syamsul Haris, 22, died on 28 July after undergoing training at the Combat Training Centre (Pulada) in Ulu Tiram, Johor. He was buried at the Kampung Rinching Ulu Muslim Cemetery in Semenyih, Selangor, the following day.
His mother, Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun, 45, had filed the exhumation application, naming the Inspector-General of Police, Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail, and the Attorney General, Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar, as the first and second respondents, respectively.
“I am hoping for an accurate, transparent and truthful post-mortem result, and a proper investigation with no party being shielded,” said Ummu Haiman after the court decision. “We just want the truth about what happened to my son. That’s all we are asking.”
Visibly exhausted, she thanked the court and the government for allowing the exhumation and second autopsy. “This is just the first step. We will see the results before we consider what further action to take.”
Lawyer Naran Singh confirmed that several logistical arrangements must be made before the grave can be opened. “The date will be decided by the IGP in consultation with the relevant religious authorities,” he said. “If they choose to exhume on Friday, then the post-mortem must be conducted within 14 days from that date.”
The Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, previously stated that the Malaysian Armed Forces’ internal investigation found no evidence of abuse or misconduct during the training exercise, which took place from 27 July to 2 August.
However, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) later announced it would conduct a more detailed investigation into the circumstances of the cadet’s death.
Syamsul Haris was the eldest of three siblings. His mother, a schoolteacher, said her sole motivation was to uncover the truth behind her son’s untimely passing. - August 26, 2025