Widow urges independent probe on husband’s death in lock-up

She files a report today stating police officers from the Bukit Sentosa police station should not be conducting investigations as they may be implicated.

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PETALING JAYA: The widow of Thanaseelan Muniandy, who died in police custody last month, wants an independent probe into her husband’s death.

Piremilah Sinasamy lodged a police report at the Petaling Jaya district police station today, urging Bukit Aman to conduct investigations on the circumstances and cause of his death.

“The police officers from the Bukit Sentosa police station should not be conducting investigations into his death as they may be implicated,” the housewife said.

Piremilah also claimed that the family was not informed of Thanaseelan’s detention until after his death.

Thanaseelan was found dead at the Bukit Sentosa police station in Hulu Selangor on Feb 25.

“I was told he fell sick during the detention period,” she said, questioning why he was not given proper medical treatment.

She added she only knew her husband had died after police asked her to come to the police station.

“They told me he was very sick. And when my family and I reached there, we were told he was dead.”

It was reported that the post-mortem results revealed Thanaseelan, 43, had died from a “perforated gastric ulcer”.

The family’s lawyer Eric Paulsen said the health ministry should conduct investigations based on the standard operating procedures for detainees seeking medical help.

“Something must have gone wrong somewhere. Thanaseelan was taken to hospital seven hours before he died and was prescribed only gastric medicine,” he said.

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) and Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) are investigating the detainee’s death.

Both agencies are also probing the death in custody of S Balamurugan, 44, at the North Klang police headquarters on Feb 7.

Police had said 10 policemen were under investigation over his death but none had been suspended from work.

His family’s lawyers have claimed that a second autopsy on his body showed he incurred multiple beatings that led to heart failure. -FMT