GOMBAK: A mechanic who was arrested with death-in-custody victim A Ganapathy remains behind bars 72 days after he was brought in by the police to assist in an investigation, according to his lawyer.
S Vinesh said Sritharan Kukaneson has yet to be charged in court for any offence.
Cow’s milk trader Ganapathy, whose controversial death in police custody has led to widespread outrage and calls for reform within the police system, was at Sritharan’s motorcycle workshop in Batu Caves on Feb 24 when the police arrested the duo to assist in an investigation involving Ganapathy brother.
According to Vinesh, his client was also beaten up by the police when he was arrested, taken on a “road show” and chain remanded until April 4, and then detained under the Prevention of Crime Act (Poca), which allows police to detain suspects for up to 59 days without trial.
The home ministry can then choose to release him, detain him without trial for another two years, or banish him to a different district.
On Monday, Sritharan’s wife, Krichana Kumarthi, was allowed to meet her husband for the first time since his arrest. It was then that he made the claims about being beaten.
“Sritharan told us that after his arrest, he was brought to the Batu Caves police station, dragged out, and beaten up at the car park with Ganapathy,” Vinesh told FMT when met outside the Gombak district police headquarters today.
“Yes, he is a detainee. But does that give the police the right to hit him and deny him access to his family and medical treatment?
“There are rumours that my client is the main witness who saw Ganapathy being beaten up. I just want a fair and transparent investigation here.”
Ganapathy died at the Selayang Hospital on April 18, just over a month after he was warded.
His lawyer, K Ganesh, previously told FMT that Ganapathy’s post-mortem, which was conducted by the Kuala Lumpur Hospital’s pathology department, found that he died as a result of injuries on his legs and shoulders.
The injuries were so severe that Ganapathy’s left leg had to be amputated in an attempt to save his life.
In previous reports, Ganapathy’s mother, S Thanaletchumy, said her son had informed her that he was beaten with a rubber hose by the police.
However, Gombak district police Arifai Tarawe had has denied it, saying there was no evidence that Ganapathy was beaten while in police hands.
While he said he understands that the police are “just doing their duty”, Vinesh said it was crucial that they prevent another death in police custody – especially one linked to Ganapathy.
“We are not blaming the police. Because of them, we are safe at home. However, when a person has already died in relation to this case, they have to do something to prevent the same thing from happening to others,” he said.
Vinesh said he has sent a letter to the inspector-general of police (IGP), Bukit Aman’s Integrity and Standard Compliance Department, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) and Arifai calling for an investigation and explanation as to why Sritharan remains under detention.
Krichana also told FMT that her husband’s investigating officer (IO) had finally granted her permission to visit Sritharan at the Gombak district police headquarters on April 16 but the the visit was cancelled as she was told Sritharan was suspected to have contracted Covid-19.
Both Vinesh and Krichana could not confirm whether Sritharan had received medical treatment for Covid-19 or was quarantined.
Krichana said she was especially unhappy that she was only able to meet her husband 68 days after his arrest.
“I am not happy with the way they arrested him. They didn’t give us any information, they detained him under chain remand and then put him under Poca,” she said.
“My husband told me he was beaten up at the parking lot of the Batu Caves police station. Was I denied the right to visit my husband because the police wanted to cover up his injuries?” she asked.
When contacted, Arifai did not want to comment on Sritharan’s case as he said it was still under investigation. - FMT
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