JHEAINS to take body snatch incident to court

The Negeri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Deparment (JHEAINS) will take legal action against those who prevented the department from obtaining the body of Lawrence Sevananthan for “contempt of court”.

Its director, Johani Hassan, said when contacted today that the department was studying legal action for being prevented from burying Lawrence’s body according to Islamic rites.

“We had a court order for them to hand over the body (to JHEAINS), but they refused. So we are studying action for contempt of court,” he said, but declined to disclose further details.

Johani maintained that Lawrence, 33, whose body was involved in a tussle between his family and JHEAINS, was a Muslim before he died and that there was evidence to prove that he converted to Islam on Sept 19.

“We have the certificate that shows he converted to Islam and a video recording to prove it,” he said.

The religious status of Lawrence, who died last week, became the centre of controversy after JHEAINS officers went to the family home on Sept 22 to claim the body on grounds that he had converted to Islam three days earlier.

The situation sparked an tense stand-off between family members and at least 30 police and JHEAINS officers.

JHEAINS later backed down, but Lawrence’s friends took matters into their own hands by whisking the body away as it was being taken to a church in Seremban.

They cremated the body and buried the ashes in Segamat.

Lawrence was found unconscious in his lorry by family members on the night of Sept 21 and was declared dead on arrival at the Seremban Hospital.