Indira Gandhi wants to meet IGP over missing daughter

Indira Gandhi Action Team (Ingat) has sought a meeting with the Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador to get updates on the efforts of the police in finding Indira's missing daughter Prasana Diksa.

"He (Abdul Hamid) had promised to double up the efforts to track down Prasana.

"But we don't know what's the update or if he's just giving lip service.

"He said he would like to bring everything in his power to end this saga, to repatriate Prasana to Indira by the end of the year (2019). That didn't happen," Ingat chairperson Arun Dorasamy told the media at Bukit Aman today.

Earlier, Arun, accompanied by Indira's lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan, handed two letters addressed to the IGP, which were received by the federal police headquarters' corporate communications officer Deputy Superintendent Faizall Samsuddin.

Arun said the first letter is a court's mandamus order reminding the IGP to enforce the arrest against Indira's former husband Muhammad Riduan Abdullah and to retrieve Prasana.

The second letter is a request to meet Abdul Hamid to discuss on the missing girl.

"We want to meet the IGP and among others, to get the police to reclassify this case as a missing child.

"Until today, the disappearance of Prasana has no record anywhere in the system. Nobody has seen her alive and we only hope she is still alive.

"(Former IGP Mohamad) Fuzi (Harun) said ‘I believe she is still alive’. That answer is not good enough," Arun said.

He added that numerous police reports have been filed in regard to Prasana.

While police had set up a special task force to find Prasana since April last year, Arun said there has been no update from the task force since then.

"Our humble request to IGP: do meet us as soon as possible. We need to know what's happening. She (Indira) has waited for 11 years.

"Justice delayed is justice denied," he said.

Meanwhile, Arun said Indira's (above) legal team is planning to file a civil suit in mid-February against the IGP for contempt of court.

"We will file (the suit) in mid-February. We are delaying this because we want to work with the police and the IGP.

"Legal challenge is not our first choice as it takes time and resources," Arun added.

Police’s effort ongoing, don’t expect instant result

Subsequently, Abdul Hamid (below), in response to the case, said the effort to solve it is ongoing but refused to divulge the plan to track down Prasana as it's a sensitive issue.

"Actually, our side is working to solve the case...the effort is ongoing but I won't be able to solve a seven-year case in a blink of an eye.

"But I am personally monitoring the case until it meets a happy ending.I will work my own way, the police are working on it.

"It's just that we don't share to the media (the method) as this is a sensitive issue. I won't let the case sink just like that, that's my guarantee," he told the media when met at Cheras.

On Ingat's plan to sue him, Abdul Hamid said he will let the legal unit in the Home Ministry to look into it before getting advice from the Attorney-General.

Indira’s plight began when her former husband Riduan unilaterally converted all their three children to Islam in 2009.

A lengthy court battle ensued involving both the syariah and civil courts.

The Federal Court ultimately instructed then-IGP Khalid Abu Bakar in 2016 to arrest Riduan, and reinstated a mandamus order issued by the Ipoh High Court two years earlier for Prasana’s retrieval.

A mandamus order is a court order compelling a government official to properly fulfil official duties.

In January 2018, the apex court also nullified the conversion of Prasana and her two elder siblings to Islam by Riduan, who was known as K Pathmanathan prior to his conversion.

Indira’s two eldest children now live with her, while Riduan remains in hiding with Prasana. - Mkini