'Were LTTE-linked accused even questioned before torture claims dismissed?’

Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh has questioned the alleged haste with which police chief Abdul Hamid Bador dismissed allegations of intimidation and torture levelled by several accused in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) case last Friday.

Ramkarpal sought Bukit Aman’s explanation as to whether police had taken the time to question the two complainants first before issuing such a denial.

If not, he said such a denial was “ill-advised and premature” on the part of the inspector-general of police (IGP).

“The said allegations were made by the said detainees on Nov 1 in court, and Hamid’s statement was made a day later.

“It is unlikely that the detainees have been questioned yet, and I urge Hamid to indicate if they have. If they have not, it cannot be said that investigations into the said complaints are complete,” the DAP MP said in a statement today.

On Friday, two of the accused had claimed to Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi they had been tortured and intimidated in a bid to force their confessions during their detention under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).

The two - grocery shop owner B Subramaniam, 57, and scrap metal dealer A Kalaimughilan, 28 - were among 12 suspects recently charged with multiple counts related to the support of the now-defunct LTTE, as well as possessing and displaying of materials related to the group.

Judge Azura set Nov 8 to decide whether she needed to instruct the Magistrates' Court to examine the way the police interrogated the two.

Ramkarpal today called on Hamid to launch a “proper probe” into the Sosma allegations as the latter recently promised to do in the case of two Nepali guards alleged to have been victimised by the police.

“It is not clear if the said LTTE (-linked) detainees have been afforded the same privilege as the said Nepali security guards,” said the lawmaker, who also chairs the Parliament Special Select Committee on the Independent Police Complaints of Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) Bill 2019.

Hamid yesterday reportedly deemed the complaints by the two Sosma detainees as “baseless and very irresponsible”.

Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, however, had earlier promised the matter would be probed, despite being assured by IGP that the claims were untrue. - Mkini