Surendran: Shamil, Hairul and Hanafi forced to kneel, then killed in cold blood

Another incident of misuse of authority, tantamount to murder, has burst into the open. 15-year old Shamil Hafiz and his buddies Hairul, 20, and Hanafi, 22, had their lives taken away in November 2010, five months before senior Customs officer Ahmad Sarbani was dealt the same fate.

In the case of Sarbani, an assistant director with the Selangor Customer, his family has railed at the authorities' inaction but finally, last week, the police recommended an inquest.

No doubt, many including Sarbani's widow are against the inquest, which they see as a form of delaying tactic, but at least they still got some response. And that is only because the Najib administration is worried about upsetting the rest of the civil service, which forms an important component of the pro-government electorate.

But the for the families of the three youths, they pack less clout. They are average families - the easiest to bully.

Blue murder

However, latest post-mortem reports are so revealing that the government will find it impossible to cover up any longer. As for Sarbani, whose body was found in the MACC building in Cheras after he went to see his Investigating Officer, the post-mortem has not been publicly revealed yet.

On Thursday, PKR vice president N Surendran unveiled the shocking post-mortem reports on Shamil and Hairul. Hanafi's has not been completed yet. The most damning piece of information was the pathologists' findings that they had been kneeling when they were shot by policemen last year.

This meant that the three were deliberately executed, and not shot in self-defense as claimed by the police, said Surendran.

“Based on scientific findings, the police version is false. The police have lied. The police version says that they were rushed with parangs and therefore they were shot,” Malaysian Insider reported Surendran as saying.

“The clear scenario that emerges is all three were arrested or were taken into custody. They were then made to kneel, whatever it was, at a level lower than the shooters. They were then shot, executed by the police officers."

Autopsy reports contradict self-defence claim

The autopsy reports were received by PKR leaders two days ago. The party has fought for a full-scale public inquiry since last year but the Najib administration has maintained a deafening silence.

Shamil Hafiz Shapiei, 15, Hairul Nizam Tuah, 20, and Hanafi Omar, 22, were gunned down by the police after a high-speed car chase in the early morning of November 13 last year in Glenmarie, Shah Alam.

The police claimed they shot the suspects in self-defence when they charged at the officers with parangs or machetes at the end of the car chase.

To add salt to the wound, Selangor acting police chief A Thaiveegan called the three youths “seasoned criminals” and part of a notorious "Geng Minyak" who were allegedly involved in at least three armed robberies in Selangor.

But the boys' families have always insisted they were innocent.

“My son was a good boy who went for religious classes,” Shamil's mother Norhafizah had told the press.

So far, the families have lodged a police report against the officers involved, demanded an apology for slandering their dead children as criminals, appealed to Prime Minister Najib Razak to take action and also plan to demand for a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

But despite public outrage, no action has been taken by the authorities so far.

Shamil

According to the forensic report on Shamil, he had two wounds consistent with gunshot wounds, the first injury mark on the forehead, and the second, on the right side of the chest.

“Both gunshot wounds entered 45 degrees into the back and right side of the body. There were no signs of self-defence,” the report said, adding that there was gunpowder residue on the chest wound.

According to the chemist report, there was also gunpowder residue on the victim’s jacket.

Hairul

As for Hairul, the cause of death was gunshot injuries to the head and chest.

‘“Post-mortem examination showed that he received two shots, one at the left side of the head and exit at the right side of the head. The other shot was on the front part of the left side of the chest and exit at the back of the right side of the chest," said the report.

“The weapon used was from a single-fired rifled weapon such as a pistol. There was no evidence to show that the weapon was fired during contact or at near distance."

45 degree angle

According to Surendran, it shows that Shamil Hafiz was kneeling or squatting when the shots were fired from a higher direction. "Only that explains why it was 45 degrees,” he said.

As for Hairul Nizam, he said the doctor who examined his body found that the bullet track was directed “inwards, downwards, and to the right”.

“Again, Hairul must have been kneeling and the shot came from top. So, that means they were arrested, taken into custody and then executed. Scientific evidence is clear,” said Surendran.

Dubious explanation, major cover up

The lawyer slammed Thaiveegan for his dubious explanation, pointing the contradictions as evidenced in the post-mortem report.

“If the police are rushing from the front, how can the bullet enter the side of the head. So the medical evidence is completely contradictory to what the police claim and we’re talking about Datuk A Thaiveegan, acting police chief, unless the bullets can bend and hit the head,” said Surendran.

Hanafi's report not out yet

So far, Hanafi Omar’s post-mortem report has not been received yet. However, the family has sighted the body and said there were two shots — to the side of the head and one to the torso.

“The clear scenario that emerges is all three were arrested or were taken into custody. They were then made to kneel, whatever it was, at a level lower than the shooters. They were then shot, executed by the police officers,” he said.

- Malaysia Chronicle