Plainclothes cop tries to disrupt 'SACK THE IGP' protest, throws punch at assemblyman

Teja assemblyman and Kita Lawan secretariat Chang Lih Kang claimed that a plain clothes policeman tried to cause a ruckus at the Kita Lawan sit-in at Dataran Merdeka early this morning.

Chang said everything was going smoothly with people either getting ready to sleep or had already fallen asleep when the crowd of 20 was awakened by a man trying to cause havoc.

“We were woken up at 2.30am when a group of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) officers started taking down our placards but credit to them for they were quite professional and they did not use any force.

“Suddenly though, a man without any uniform came (to where we were bedded down) and kicked an umbrella,” he said during a phone conversation with Malaysiakini.

That open umbrella, according to both Chang and PKR Environment Bureau chief Lee Chean Chung, was sheltering a 70-year-old female activist who was asleep.

“She woke up with a shock. I think she's still in shock,” Lee said, adding that a police report may be filed later today.

Chang said the unprovoked violence caused a pandemonium and a stand off which, he added, resulted in a lot of confusion.

He said he then confronted the man and said the latter almost took a swing at him. The sit-in protesters then chased the man away and he was then alleged to have resorted to staring daggers at them from across the road.

DBKL very professional

Chang and Lee, who are both on the Kita Lawan organising committee, said, when questioned, both City Council and police pointed fingers at each other and claimed the man belonged to the other group.

“Both sides denied he was one of them,” Chang said, adding he suspected the man might be with the police based on the vehicle he was seen in.

The man, which photos showed him in a baggy jacket and camouflage pants, was seen in a white Pregio vehicle with heavily tinted windows.

The week-long around-the-clock sit-in which began on Saturday is to demand for the resignation of Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar for the spate of arrests involving the Kita Lawan rally organisers.

This morning, however, Lee said DBKL officers were very amicable and merely requested for them to remove their placards which read “Pecat IGP” (Sack the IGP) and left without making any more demands.

Malaysiakini have tried to contact the police and are still waiting for their response at the time of this article. - M'kini