The family of C Sugumar have given Prime Minister Najib Razak and Health Minister S Subramaniam 48 hours to resolve the issue of a second post-mortem on their dead son. Should Najib and Subramaniam, who is the deputy president of the Malaysian Indian Congress, fail to deliver a solution, the family will bury Sugumar.
Such a move may seem an anti-climax given the past demands made by the family, their lawyers and civil rights activists for the Indian community for justice for Sugumar, but it is a very sharp slap in the face akin to a public curse and a grave reflection on the incompetence of the Najib administration.
"My nephew was chased down and beaten by the roadside and a shot was also fired we were told. They chased my nephew and beat him up like a dog. We tried so many times to get a post-mortem done but nothing was done. We hold the Prime Minister responsible. My nephew, my own blood has died. An Indian poet says the government of the day must give justice to every citizen. But this doesn't happen here. We give them 48 hours. Not just my son many other people from races have also been affected. He was beaten like a dog. The Serdang Hospital post-mortem says heart attack. We don't believe it. I feel great pain. We will bury the body if the Prime Minister does not allow Dr Pornthip or a second post mortem to be carried out. Is the Prime Minister blood thirsty, let him take my blood," Sugumar's uncle startled reporters at the press conference held on Friday with his impassioned outburst.
"The pain and the sorrow of the family will rebound back on this government and the individuals who are in charge."
Chased down, beaten and a shot was even fired - eyewitnesses
Sugumar, a security guard, was arrested in January this year, with police saying he had suffered a 'mental' fit and was destroying public property. A government hospital post-mortem said he had died of a heart attack, but his family believe he was beaten to death. They pointed out that Sugumar was only 40 and did not have health problems.
According to three eye-witnesses, Sugumar had been chased by the police, handcuffed, beaten and smeared with turmeric on his face and body. One of the policemen had allegedly stepped on his neck while another handcuffed him.
Yet Najib's government seems to have stonewalled even more than usual. Not only did the PM allegedly block renowned Thai forensic specialist Pornthip Rojanasunand from conducting a second autopsy, government hospitals where the post-mortem has to be carried out appear to have reneged on and ignored a Health Ministry letter giving permission for a second post-mortem.
"Last week, we were told by the HKL and UMMC that we needed a court order before they will consider our request. Why ask for a court order when the law does not impose any such requirement? The sudden demand for a court order is clearly intended to delay and frustrate the family from carrying out the second autopsy," Latheefa Koya, one of the lawyers for the family, told a press conference.
In the legal team aiding the family are also N Surendran, the MP for Pandan, and Sivarasa Rasiah, the MP for Subang.
The family now wants Najib and the Health Ministry to either allow Dr Pornthip to come to Malaysia and perform the autopsy or withdraw the demand for a court order and allow the pathologists at Hospital Kuala Lumpur or the University Malaya Medical Centre to carry the job.
"Right now, the family is in a fix. They tried their best to get Dr Pornthip but when that proved too tough and took too long, they were willing to compromise and settle on a pathologist from HKL or UMMC. But even that they cannot do. Every attempt they have made has met with obstacles. Every move has been frustrated. They are left with no choice," said Surendran.
Acid test for Najib's sincerity in tackling deaths in custody
Whichever way Najib chooses to respond, and chances are he will clamp up as is his usual style, the Sugumar case which erupted months before another high-profile death involving N Dharmendran, will be an acid test of his sincerity and commitment towards tacking the issue of police recalcitrance and brutality.
Dharmendran, who was remanded in May for suspicion of being involved in a fight, was beaten to death in a police lockup. Three policemen have been charged for his murder while the fourth, the investigating officer, has absconded and is now on the wanted list.
"Deaths in police custody has long been an unresolved issue because the government has refused to take it seriously or to set up an independent panel to investigate police misconduct. It was only after the massive pressure and public outcry that they finally agreed to charge the 4 policemen involved the Dharmendran case," said Sivarasa.
"Now the government is busy talking about special task forces and internal police panels. But why can't they provide a solution so simple as a second post mortem for Sugumar? Where is Najib's sincerity and commitment?"
Hiding something "big"
According to Sivarasa, the family has asked for the issue to be escalated to Parliament.
"So far there has been no answer from the PM's office to the allegations that Najib had intervened in stopping Porntip from coming here. The PM may have said the allegations were fairy tales but Dr Pornthip has given an interview to the Malaysian media whereby she had confirmed that the Malaysian government had intervened through the Thai Ministry of Justice to stop her from coming. This is a very serious allegation. We want to know why, what is Najib so afraid of," said Surendran.
When pressed on why did they think the case had become so convoluted and the government so defensive that it would pull out all the stops in preventing the truth from emerging.
"Obviously there is something they want to hide - something big!" said Surendran.
Malaysia Chronicle
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