Lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan, who is representing the families of three men shot dead by police in Malacca last month, has said that he fears for his own life because of his race.
He said he is “afraid to go home late at night”, pointing to the police’s refusal to classify the Malacca incident as a murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code, even after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ordered that the investigation be conducted with full transparency.
“This is a matter of public interest because if those three individuals can be killed so casually, what about us, ordinary citizens?
“I’m also scared. At night, when I go to watch a movie and come home at 12am, suddenly I might get stopped somewhere and then get shot. Scary or not? I’m scared. I’m Indian.
“There must be transparency in the investigation as stated by the prime minister,” he told reporters outside the Bukit Aman police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.
Police have maintained that the three men were wanted criminals who were shot after attacking an officer with machetes.
However, an audio recording of a phone call between one of the men and his wife during the incident has since emerged. The recording purportedly points to an extrajudicial killing.
Recording handed over to cops
Earlier, Rajesh confirmed that the mobile phone, which contains an audio recording of the incident, has been taken by authorities as part of their investigation.
He said the recording proved that there was no attack on the police, as previously alleged, adding that the authorities must investigate the matter transparently, as called for by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
On Dec 5, Anwar instructed Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail to conduct a transparent probe into the shooting case.
Buletin TV3 reported that the prime minister also asked Khalid to submit a detailed report on the incident to Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, adding that the matter was also discussed in the cabinet.
“I have instructed the IGP to carry out an investigation in a transparent manner and not to protect anyone.
“We do not protect criminals, but neither do we protect actions, including those by the police, police personnel, that run contrary to the rule of law.
“And in the near future, I have asked the IGP to present a detailed report, transparently, openly, and professionally, to the home minister,” he reportedly said. - Mkini
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