Ramasamy fumes after arson suspect of Cikgu Chandra’s home claims “beaten, electrocuted” during probe

 

I MUST certainly credit the Malaysian police force for their “professionalism” in apprehending suspects involved in the attacks and arson against anti-illegal temple activist S. Chandrasegaran who is better known as Cikgu Chandra.

One of the suspects aged 40 claimed in his police report that he was detained, beaten with shoes, slapped, kicked and electrocuted during the interrogation process.

The tow-truck operator is going to lodge a report with SUHAKAM (Human Rights Commission of Malaysia) with the help of his lawyer by the name of S Vinesh.

To date the police have detained 12 individuals including women, of being suspected of involvement in the attacks and arson against Cikgu Chandra.

The police believe out of the 12, seven had direct involvement in the attacks and arson.

The police are supposed to be a professional law enforcement officers who eschew the use of torture and violence in obtaining evidence.

Unfortunately, the old crude, cruel and inhumane ways are still used to extract information despite the so-called professionalism of the police force.

Cops allow festering of tension

If only the police had acted fast to curb the sinister activities of those who had questioned the existence of Hindu temples in the country to the extent of asking for their demolition.

Where were the police when (anti-kuil haram vigilante) Tamim Dahri brought along a backhoe to demolish a Hindu temple in Rawang?

The police unmistakably allowed the festering of ethnic and religious tensions by Malay-Muslim activists such as Zamri Vinoth, Firdaus Wong Wai Hung, Tamim and Cikgu Chandra.

Nevertheless, it has yet to be determined whether Cikgu Chandra is a Hindu or is he a Muslim convert.

The police and the government of the day have to be primarily blamed for allowing the ethnic and religious tensions to fester in the country.

Because these tensions were allowed to fester, some Hindus aggravated by the insults thrown at the Indian community by the vigilantes was incensed to take the law into their own hands.

If only the police had acted promptly on the matter of insults against the Hindu community, Cikgu Chandra’s house would not have been attacked nor his cars burnt.

Toothless SUHAKAM

Noteworthy, however, is the fact that the former private school teacher has himself been riding on the bandwagon of insults and threats levelled by the likes of Zamri, Tamim and others at the Hindu community.

What is the point of beating up the suspects who were caught for being involved in the attacks including arson on Cikgu Chandra’s properties or by torching his three cars.

Where were the police when racial and religious insults were hurled against the Hindu community?

I urge the police to immediately release those arrested if there is no prima facie evidence of their involvement in the attacks against the properties of Cikgu Chandra a.k.a. the “Botol Kicap” man.

Yes, the suspect who was detained and tortured might report to SUHAKAM, the human rights agency in Malaysia. But then again, SUHAKAM is a toothless agency that can do nothing to control police abuse in the country.

Yet the great reformist Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is deadly silent on the matter of establishing an independent agency to tame and regulate the police force in the country.

As long as the police think that they have impunity against prosecution, the beatings and torture of those in police custody will continue unabated. 

 Former DAP stalwart and Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.

- Focus Malaysia.