AG approves inquest into security guard's death

The Attorney-General's Chambers has given the go-ahead for the police to proceed with an inquest into the death of security guard C Sugumaran in Kajang last week.

Bukit Aman today stated that the sudden death report on Sugumaran's case had been forwarded to the public prosecutor who today agreed to the inquest.

Police, it said in a statement, will now seek to obtain the "earliest possible date" of the inquest from the magistrate.
Ir added that the application for an inquest was made in accordance to the Criminal Procedure Code (Act 593).

“Should the inquest find criminal elements in the (Sugumaran's) death, an investigation into the wrongdoing will be conducted," the statement reads.

In the meantime, police say anyone with information on the case may still come forward.
The AG's approval came in the face of the police's insistence for an immediate inquest into the incident, despite opposition from the deceased's family members.

Sugumaran's family members remain adamant that they don't want an inquest until a second autopsy is done on the deceased, who they believed to be a victim of murder and not a heart attack, as was the result from the first autopsy.

S'gor CPO seconds inquest


Earlier today, Selangor police chief Tun Hisan Tun Majid has turned down the demand of the family of C Sugumaran - who was allegedly beaten to death while handcuffed by the police - to classify the death as a murder case.

However, the death will still be probed through an inquest in the open court based on the situation of the body which was still handcuffed when found, he explained.

"His body was found in such a situation. We want to find out the cause of death. We want to find out the reason... An inquest is to ascertain the cause of death," Tun Hisan (left) replied when asked during a press conference in Subang Jaya today.

Sugumaran, 39, was a security guard who allegedly ran amok in Kajang, and who was apprehended by the police and another group that has been described as a mob.

He was found dead with turmeric smeared on his face and his hands cuffed.

The police has since denied hitting Sugumaran, and classified the case as sudden death.

According to the Serdang Hospital autopsy results, it was suggested that Sugumaran may have died from a heart attack, but his family did not accept this and has insisted on a second autopsy, and for the case to be classified as murder.

Tun Hisan assured that his men will do their best to investigate the case as it involves death.