INQUEST | Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim had nodded when a medical assistant asked if he was assaulted during the Seafield temple riot on Nov 27, according to National Heart Institute (IJN) senior consultant cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Mohamed Ezani Md Taib.
Testifying at the inquest to determine the firefighter's cause of death, he said the medical assistant had informed him of this on Dec 25, eight days after Adib's death.
Adib had succumbed to his injuries when undergoing treatment at IJN's intensive care unit.
"I was informed by one of my staff that Adib was beaten," said Ezani, who is the 14th witness to take the stand.
According to the doctor, the medical assistant told him Adib nodded when asked if he recalled the incident and whether he was "beaten".
"He (the medical assistant) told me this many days after the patient passed away.
"I replied that it is best for him to seek the advice of lawyers to decide on what is the next step," he said to questions from inquest conducting officer Fatin Hadni Khairuddin.
The medical assistant, identified as Ashraf, is expected to be called as a future witness.
Ezani also told the court that he saw Adib on two occasions when the latter was conscious and responsive, but unable to speak.
He said the firefighter had “shook his head” (to indicate that he does not remember) what happened on the night he was injured.
The doctor said Adib was treated at IJN for 21 days and his first exchange with him was on the fifth or sixth day.
The second exchange, he added, was when Adib was questioned by a police officer.
"The patient responded by shaking his head, which I perceived as a 'No'," he said, adding that Adib was unable to speak due to the tubes in his mouth.
Ezani said Adib was placed at two different beds throughout his stay at the ICU and the police investigation officer had seen Adib when his condition had improved.
He added that Adib's level of consciousness would fluctuate as he continued to receive medication with sedative effects.
To further questions from lawyer Syazlin Othman on Adib's state of consciousness throughout his 21 days stay at IJN, Ezani said the firefighter was fully sedated an unconscious for the first two days.
"What I can say confidently the first 48 hours he was not conscious, fully sedated.
"Subsequent to that some of the medications were reduced," he explained.
Ezani also said Adib might be awake and conscious but his ability to comprehend things would fluctuate from the effect of the sedative drugs.
Previous witnesses in the inquest, including Adib's colleagues from the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Department, had testified on incidents surrounding an alleged mob attack on the night of the temple riot. - Mkini
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