We acted correctly in arrest of parent in Seri Pristana case, says district police chief

Police have defended their action in detaining a parent of a pupil from SK Seri Pristana yesterday following a backlash from the public and opposition leaders over the arrest.

Sungai Buloh police chief Superintendent Junaidi Bujang said today that police are just doing their job and are not practising double standards, as claimed by certain parties.

V. Kumancan was arrested yesterday for allegedly threatening the school principal on July 25, which the former has denied, claiming that he was working at the time.

The 31-year-old was later released on police bail but is expected to be charged with criminal intimidation soon.

Other parents and several politicians have lashed out at the police, claiming that they were practising double standards and selective prosecution.

“Since the first report was received, police have continued to investigate the case, looking at every piece of information to see if it can be used or not," Junaidi said in a statement tonight.

He was referring to the SK Seri Pristana students eating in the shower room fiasco (pic).

Its principal Mohd Nasir Mohd Noor had allegedly ordered non-Muslim students to eat in the shower room during Ramadan last month.

The incident came to light after a concerned parent – Guneswari Kelly – uploaded the picture online, causing a huge outcry from the public.

Junaidi noted that so far, police have received 17 police reports against the school, of which 11 are from parents and guardians of the pupils involved in the case and the rest from the public.

He added that police had also received a total of four reports from Mohd Nasir and other teachers from the school.

"In each report, we have categorised it as with criminal intent or without based on elements such as the 'ingredients' of a felony," he said.

The OCPD pointed out that this decision by police was not final as it was compulsory to seek the advice of the deputy public prosecutor.

"Initial investigations and statements from witnesses showed that there was no criminal intent in the headmaster's actions," he added.

However, he said that the parent arrested on Monday – V. Kumancan – was found to utter threatening words to Mohd Nasir at the school, which was witnessed by several teachers.

"Investigations have shown that the suspect had indeed gone to the school and said words which caused fear to the headmaster.

"We believe that the suspect had a motive as he claims that the headmaster had brought a man in to take pictures of his daughter in school," he said, adding that police recorded statements from 33 witnesses in this case.