By Shingyee Koh ( Malaysiakini)
The independent post-mortem report on deceased police detainee Kugan Ananthan was submitted to the Attorney-General's Chambers in Putrajaya today by his mother M Indra.
According to the family's lawyer N Surendran, the report was handed to deputy public prosecutor Tun Majid Tun Hamzah, who was urged to take stern and immediate action on the matter.
He said Tun Majid promised to look into the report immediately and keep the family updated on the next course of action.
Also present were Teluk Intan DAP parliamentarian M Manogaran, Kapar MP S Manickavasagam and Police Watch and Human Rights committee member S Jayathas.
The independent post mortem report conducted by a Universiti Malaya Medical Centre pathologist revealed that the 22-year-old car theft suspect endured severe beatings and was also starved during his incarceration.
The post-mortem found that Kugan had died of kidney failure due to the assault. The beatings had caused a breakdown in his muscle cells which then congested the blood flow and resulted in kidney failure.
The post-mortem was commissioned by Kugan's family after they were dissatisfied with the first report tendered by the Serdang Hospital which stated that he had died due to fluid accumulation in his lungs.
Kugan, 22, died at the Taipan police station in Subang Jaya on Jan 20, five days after he was arrested.
Following the emergence of a video clip which revealed severe lacerations on the body and immense public pressure, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail reclassified the case as murder.
Subsequently, 11 police personnel were reassigned to desk duty pending investigations.
'We do not trust the police'
Asked about police investigation into the case, Surendran told Malaysiakini that he has not received any information from them and does not know about the progress of the investigation.
"They kept us in the dark, there is no point in handing the post-mortem report to them. That is why we want the AG to be fully in charge of the case. We want nothing to do with the police," he said.
On the same note, Surendran reiterated that the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) must be established to ensure a fair and thorough probe.
"We have no confidence in the police, we can never be sure if the police can conduct a thorough investigation," he said.
The lawyer listed four reasons as to why the family does not have any confidence in the police to investigate this matter:
1. When death occurred, the police gave us lies and tried to cover up by telling us that he died while he was drinking water. And when the (first) post-mortem report came out, they said he died of water in his lungs.
2. The police came out with weak excuses and what I call a diversion tactic by saying that we barged into the (Serdang Hospital) mortuary. This was an act to divert the public's focus from the murder.
3. They tried their very best to prevent us from getting a second post-mortem report. The IGP (Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan) today in the news said that he can't wait to read the report, but they used all the obstacles to prevents us from getting a second post-mortem.
4. Up to this day, no one was arrested or remanded for the murder.
Surendran expressed hope that those involved in this "ruthless" act will be charged with murder and nothing less.
The lawyer also said the family will also file a civil suit against the government and the police.
As for the tissue samples sent to Australia, Surendran said the report is delayed due to the bush fires in the country.
"We will get the report no later than end of March," he added.
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