Police stop second post-mortem

A post-mortem on a woman who died of abuse was allegedly stopped by the police and a forensic team from Kulim.

KUALA LUMPUR: Police and hospital authorities have stopped an independent post-mortem from being carried out on a woman who may have died from abuse injuries.

S Pakiam, 24, who died five months ago, was supposed to have a second post mortem done by Serdang hospital staff on June 21.

All of a sudden, police officers and a forensic team from Kulim, Kedah stopped the post-mortem from taking place, even though the family had a court order to go ahead with the post mortem.

PKR-Kapar MP S Manickavasagam told reporters in Parliament that he was with Pakiam’s family on that day.

“They are trying to cover this up. The (Kulim) hospital and the police, they are trying to protect somebody ” he said, while showing pictures of Pakiam’s purportedly abused body.

The Kapar MP said that Pakiam’s family was told by the authorities that the Serdang hospital did not have the necessary equipment to carry out the post-mortem.

FMT previously reported that Pakiam died on Feb 12, after she was allegedly beaten by her husband, after being married for only five months.

A post-mortem by the Kulim Hospital said that Pakiam died of a lung infection.

However, upon claiming her body, Pakiam’s father, M Subramaniam, 52, found wounds on her hands, cigarette stub marks on her abdomen, prised off finger nails, a swollen head and missing teeth.

Dissatisfied with the first post-mortem results, Subramaniam brought her body to the Serdang Hospital for an independent operation.

They finally received a court order for the post-mortem to be carried out, but were stopped by the Kulim police two days ago.

Heartbroken, Pakiam’s family has drafted a memorandum airing their grievances to the Health Ministry, Women, Family and Community Development Ministry and Home Ministry.

PKR-Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin, who was also present today, said that Pakiam’s case was a “clear criminal case”.

“Pakiam was only married for five months, and when she was married, nothing was wrong with her. (…) But the pictures after her death show that she has been beaten,” she said.

FMT later learned from the MPs that Pakiam’s husband had not been interrogated by the police over her death.

According to Catherine Perumal, Pakiam’s aunt, this fact brought them no respite.

“His (Pakiam’s husband) family and he are free. But we are the ones in trouble. How many times do we have to go to the hospital or to court to try and get this done?” she said frustratedly.

“How long do we have to wait (until we get a second post-mortem)?” she asked.