Symptoms showed Kugan critically ill prior to death

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid - The Malaysian Insider

PETALING JAYA, Feb 19 — Symptoms found on A. Kugan’s body who died in police custody showed the 23 year-old was critically ill prior to his death, the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court was told today.

Dr Baldev Singh Gill, the second witness to a trial of V Navindran, the police constable implicated in Kugan’s death, said upon his inspection found the deceased’s body to be “cool” indicating “sluggish or failing blood circulation” typical of a critically ill patient.

Baldev, a private doctor with the Mediviron clinic, told the court that he was called upon by Navindran to come to the Taipan police station where Kugan was detained and was told by the former that “he (Kugan) looked really sick.”

“When I arrived, I saw the detainee was motionless. I was told that his name was Kugan. I called his name once or twice, shook him to see if I could wake him up,” he said.

Baldev then said upon checking Kugan’s motionless body for vital signs of life, he had placed his arm around his neck and felt that the 23 year-old body was “cool.”

“This is indicative that the death was not a sudden death.. from the symptoms showed, we can presume that he had been seriously ill prior to his death,” said the doctor.

But Baldev, when asked by DPP Lailawati Ali if the inspection conducted by the doctor was subjective, did not answer the question but said the examination, medically termed as “extremities examination”, was a “qualitative and not a quantitative one.”

“This means that the cause of the illness can’t be ascertained at that stage (inspection) but can only be determined by an autopsy,” he said.

Kugan, detained by the police on Jan 15 last year for suspected car theft, was subsequently pronounced dead after no vital signs of life were found said Baldev.

The 23 year-old had been detained several days before he was found dead.

Baldev said Kugan’s body was found sitting up with his back against the wall. His eyes and mouth were wide opened. He further said Kugan had shorts and a tee with orange-coloured stain on it.

He said the stain, which was still wet, looked like vomit and there was urine odour on Kugan’s body. However, no traces of vomit were found around the deceased’s mouth added Baldev.

“I was with a few police officers when I saw him in a small room at the end of a larger room in the police station. There were some tables with some snacks..biscuits on it,” said the doctor in his description of where he first saw Kugan.

“I then told the police officers to contact the call the government hospital mortuary department and get the forensic team to take over,” he added.

Kugan’s death sparked a nationwide uproar. His is not the only death in police custody case. There has been numerous more prior and after his death and the Malaysian police has been facing tremendous scrutiny over the fiasco.

The court will hear testimonies from two more witnesses — forensic photographers — today and Judge Aslam Zainuddin will visit the Taipan police station on Monday.