Police call for inquest means ‘all’s not well’

MIC's Vell Paari said an inquest by the police on Sugumaran's death would not bode well with the public.

PETALING JAYA: The police’s call for an inquest into the death of C Sugumaran is an admission by them that something is not right, MIC said today.

Said MIC’s strategy director S Vell Paari: “The fact an inquest is requested itself shows that there exist some discrepancies over Sugumaran’s cause of death.

“An inquest based on evidence from a process that the vast majority say is tainted will not be accepted as being independent and fair.”

He was commenting on yesterday’s the call by Selangor deputy chief of police, A Thaiveegan, to the public prosecutor to hold an open inquest into the death of the 39-year-old Sugumaran.

Last Wednesday, Sugumaran was allegedly beaten to death by the police and the public while handcuffed in Taman Sri Nanding, Hulu Langat.

Pathologist Dr Mohd Azaini Ibrahim of Serdang Hospital claimed that Sugumaran died of heart attack.

This is, however, disputed by the family because there are external injuries on the body and Sugumaran’s face was smeared with turmeric powder when found.

Sugumaran’s family members want an independent post-mortem conducted.

They also want Sugumaran’s death to be classified as murder.

A police report was also lodged in Cheras against the Kajang police yesterday.

“The family is clearly against the inquest since it is a murder,” said PKR vice-president, N Surendran, who is acting as a lawyer for Sugumaran’s family.

Vell Paari also called for the second post-mortem to be conducted by an independent team of pathologists.

“A second post-mortem must be done by an independent team… the team that can be brought in from outside the government hospital or even from overseas… a team that the family must agree is independent,” he said.