‘Cops want to bury Sugumar’s remains’

The police would instruct the Serdang Hospital to bury C Sugumar's body if the family does not take his remains out, alleged PKR vice-president N Surendran.

PETALING JAYA: The police have no right to seize security guard C Sugumar’s body and bury it themselves, PKR vice-president N Surendran said today.

Speaking at a press conference held at the party headquarters, Surendran said that the police had sent a letter to Sugumar’s family on April 15, urging them to take away the deceased from the Serdang Hospital morgue and bury it immediately.

The letter, signed by ASP Buhainuddin Mustafa of the Selangor police crime investigation unit, said that the police would instruct the Serdang Hospital to arrange for Sugumar’s burial rites if the family failed to respond within two weeks.

“People know that we are still trying to get the Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand to conduct a second autopsy on Sugumar. Are the police trying to cover up something?” asked Surendran.

On Jan 23, Sugumar, a 40-year-old security guard, was alleged to have been chased, handcuffed and beaten to death by policemen and several civilians.

The government said Sugumar died from a heart attack but his family rejected the finding and demanded for a second autopsy, to be done by Pornthip.

But on Feb 14, Pornthip refused to conduct the second post-mortem on Sugumar, citing personal reasons.

PKR, on the other hand, accused Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak of having a hand in it but the latter had denied it.

Surendran, who is PKR’s candidate for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat, said the recent happening is shocking and claimed he had never seen the police acting this way.

“Instead of offering a solution to the family’s predicament, the police are trying to seize Sugumar’s body,” he said.

Zul Noordin under fire again

On another matter, Surendran dismissed claims by Najib and his deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, that Shah Alam parliamentary seat candidate Zulkifli Noordin had not uttered derogatory remarks against Indians during his tenure in PAS and PKR.

To prove his claim, Surendran showed reporters a video showing Zulkifli criticising private investigator, the late P Balasubramaniam, using the word “keling” in a ceramah on March 6, 2013.

“Zulkifli was sacked from PKR in 2009 and later became a BN-friendly candidate. He made a derogatory remark to Indians just a month ago and yet he was chosen as candidate for the ruling coalition,” he said.

Calling Najib, Muhyiddin and Zulkifli as liars, Surendran said that it showed that BN leaders have no respect for the Indian community.

“Najib must explain the matter. Don’t underestimate the anger of the Indians. Even in Padang Serai, the Indian community there are asking me about Zulkifli,” said Surendran.

Recently an old video clipping surfaced showing Zulkifli insulting the Hindu concept of God and mocked the Ganges River, which is considered sacred by Hindus.

“I have been to the Ganges River before. How can you say it’s pure? There are chicken carcasses and small sticks floating,” Zulkifli had said in the video clip.

He has since apologised for his remarks.

Another Umno candidate in hot water

Meanwhile, Surendran criticised BN candidate for the Pasir Gudang parliamentary seat Normala Abdul Samad for linking stateless Indians to illegal immigrants.

“Stateless Indians have nothing to do with illegal immigrants. They are born and raised in Malaysia,” he said.

On 21 April, Normala had linked the stateless Indians to the influx of illegal immigrants in Sabah and urged the government to be cautious in handing out citizenships.

“Our country was polluted to the extent of bringing hardship to the people of Sabah,” Normala was reported as saying.

Surendran said that Normala’s statement only showed how BN leaders viewed stateless Indians and has no intention of resolving the issue.

“This is shocking. Is this the position of the BN government on stateless Indians? Najib must answer this,” he said.