Family not informed of inmate’s hospital admission, inquest hears

 

K Sritaran (right), who testified today, with his uncle, K Siva.

SHAH ALAM: The brother of K Roopan, who died in Kajang prison a day after he was discharged from hospital two years ago, said the family was not informed that he had been admitted for treatment.

Testifying at the inquest into his brother’s death, K Sritaran, 26, said the family only learnt that Roopan had been rushed to hospital with breathing difficulties after being informed by his cellmate in a telephone call on June 17, 2021.

Sritaran said upon receiving the news, he immediately told his father and uncle who then went to the hospital to seek verification while he sought confirmation from prison authorities.

“I called the Kajang prison for confirmation and an officer put me on hold for five minutes.

“The officer then informed me that the call I received earlier was fake,” he said.

However, Sritaran said his uncle managed to get confirmation from the hospital that Roopan was at its emergency department.

None of them was able to talk to Roopan at the hospital due to restrictions imposed pursuant to the movement control order (MCO) which was in force at the time.

Sritaran said they could only watch Roopan from a distance.

He said he and his family were shocked to find out from the hospital five days later that Roopan had died.

He said the pathologist who performed a post-mortem examination on Roopan told him that the death was caused by a blood clot which had originated from his left leg.

According to Sritaran, the pathologist said Roopan could have been saved if the condition had been treated earlier.

“I saw his body. His left leg had a black mark from the leg to the ankle. The doctor said it was due to a blood clot,” Sritaran testified.

Subsequently, on June 25, Sritaran said he received two brief telephone calls from his brother’s prison mates claiming that Roopan had been ill-treated in prison.

“The first caller claimed that Roopan was hit by a prison warden.

“Another caller claimed that Roopan was transferred to a cell in Block Insaf, known as the dark cell,” he said, adding that he was not given further details.

Sritaran said he lodged reports with the police and the human rights commission (Suhakam) the next day.

Responding to a question by coroner Rasyihah Ghazali, Sritaran said he did not show the call log on his mobile phone to the investigating officer as he had not been asked to do so.

Roopan was sent to the hospital on June 17, 2021 after complaining of breathing difficulties. He was discharged on June 20.

However, he died in prison a day later, eight days before the hearing of his appeal in a 2013 murder case.

The inquest continues tomorrow with two prison doctors and the investigating officer expected to testify. - FMT