KUALA LUMPUR, 26 Jan 2009: Police will submit investigation papers on the death of lock-up detainee A Kugan to the Attorney-General’s Chambers on Wednesday, Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said.
He said the papers would be ready by tomorrow after several more witnesses were interviewed.
“Yesterday, we took statements from 11 police officers who were on duty at the time of Kugan’s death. We have also called in several witnesses who were there when Kugan was arrested, and during his death.
“The witnesses’ accounts are crucial to our investigations,” he said, adding that the investigations were carried out in a professional and fair manner by a special team from Bukit Aman.
Police have also taken statements from individuals who saw police arrest Kugan on 15 Jan, he told Bernama.
Khalid also called on the public not to speculate on the second post-mortem carried out on Kugan’s body yesterday.
“The post-mortem was carried out independently,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kapar Member of Parliament S Manikavasagam said Kugan’s family has expressed hope that the case would be handled in a transparent and fair manner.
He also said the family respected the police action of recording witness statements to establish Kugan’s cause of death.
“What we want now is justice for Kugan’s family. I hope that the case is given attention by the authorities,” he said.
Kugan, who was arrested on suspicion of being involved in luxury car theft in Sungai Chua, Kajang, died while in detention at the Taipan police station in Subang Jaya on 20 Jan.
gloriousnymph says
That 80 Indians have died in police custody in just eight years shows just how far and wide abuse of power within the police system has been allowed to proliferate without any checks. It is only because the poor among the Indians have refused to keep quiet in the last year or so, that Kugan’s death and the related cases of police brutality are finally seeing light. If anyone should be sacked or should resign it should be Syed Hamid Albar – and the IGP as this happened on their watch.
As though that is not bad enough, they are twisting the facts, lying and covering up the truth. It has now come to light that Kugan’s family did NOT storm into the mortuary but was officially allowed to view the body as is according to procedure. I do sincerely hope that our messed up system will not fail Kugan and his family, and the perpetrators are brought to justice. Desk duty, which allows the evil doers to sit around all day, push paper and go out for tea whenever they want is certainly not a just punishment.
Furthermore, it is not just those who were involved in Kugan’s death who should be tried, but all those who played their part in the deaths of the other 80 who have died in police custody.