KUALA LUMPUR: Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo is calling upon the Inspector General of Police to detail the steps that have been taken in an alleged police custodial death in Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya earlier this year.
Lorry driver S. Manisegaran, 41, allegedly died under suspicious circumstances while he was being detained at the Bandar Sunway police station in February.
Gobind had earlier this month urged the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to clarify allegations regarding the death that had not been investigated after more than nine months.
"The AGC, on Dec 6, instructed the police to complete investigations into the case without further delay, but it is reported that as of today, the victim's widow, S. Rajeswari, has yet to be contacted by the police with updates into the matter," Gobind said in his statement this afternoon.
"This is unacceptable. The law is clear in cases involving death in police custody. There must be an inquiry held to determine the cause of death and action taken thereafter.
"The Inspector-General of Police (Datuk Seri Khalid Ismail) must explain the delay in this case. It has been nine months. A report must be completed by the police and submitted to the Attorney General as directed without any further delay," he added.
Gobind, who is also DAP chairman and MP of Damansara, said it is for this reason that reforms have to be made to the current procedures applicable in cases of this nature.
"There must be strict time limits set for specific steps to be taken after reports like these are made or information of such incidents is received.
"Equally important, where there is a failure on the part of any officer to comply with these directions, then action must be taken, be it against the officers concerned for non-compliance, or for those officers to be replaced to ensure that investigations proceed without further delay.
"Delays will result in injustice. It would have an impact on the investigation, witnesses, and evidence needed in the case. That would be contrary to the intent and purpose behind Section 334 and Chapter XXXII of the Criminal Procedure Code which seeks to ensure justice is done in such cases of death in custody."
He added Khalid must act on the directions of the Attorney General.
"He (Khalid) must also keep Manisegaran's family informed of the developments in this case.
"I will also take this matter up with Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, and ask him to consider the need for reform of procedures involved in probing cases of this nature to ensure that the law is properly enforced and that there are no more delays in acting on such cases."
On Dec 6, Gobind said he welcomed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s firm directive for a fully transparent investigation into the recent fatal shooting case in Melaka.
He said Anwar's instruction sent a clear and strong signal that while the police must be firm and enforce the law, the government is serious about accountability and upholding the rule of law.
Gobind was speaking about an incident on Nov 24 in which Melaka police chief Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar claimed one of his personnel had been attacked by three serial robbers with a parang. The trio were then shot dead by police.
However, lawyers representing the families of the three men – M. Puspanathan, 21, T. Poovaneswaran, 24, and G. Logeswaran, 29 – demanded that Bukit Aman investigate their deaths with audio and forensic evidence, claiming they were killed, “execution-style”.
On Dec 9, Gobind condemned an incident in which a woman and her daughter were denied entry into the Jasin district police headquarters in Melaka after a traffic accident because their attire apparently ‘violated’ a dress code.
Gobind said the fundamental purpose of a police station was to serve the public, protect citizens, and facilitate the reporting of crimes and accidents as required by the law. He said preventing a victim from filing a report based on their clothing was an abuse of authority and amounted to obstructing justice.
