After C Sugumaran lost his father at an early age, his paternal uncle A Kuppusamy had raised him like his own son.
But the 80-year-old retired Tamil school teacher was dealt a blow when his 40-year-old nephew, whom he refers to as his son, died after he was assaulted by the police at the roadside while his hands were cuffed behind his back last year.
H
owever, the post mortem stated that he died of a heart attack.
The inquest into his death is ongoing but it started only after the family buried Sugumaran’s remains upon failing to get a second post mortem months after his death.
Vowing to fight for justice, Kuppusamy (left) said: "Sugumaran was not cattle or a bird. He was a human being... I want rights for all, not just for my son.”
"Police are not God. The government is not God. (Only) God can give and take life...
"Police have no power to kill people. They can only guard people," he said in halting English.
Kuppusamy was speaking at launch of the Human Rights Watch's report on police abuse in Kuala Lumpur.
Will an inquest bring back my brother?
Also present was D Ranjan, 30, who in August 2012 lost his youngest brother, Dinesh, 26, in a police shooting.
“A life is gone. Why is an inquiry done only after? Can I get back my brother back?" he asked.
More than a year on, Ranjan said the ongoing inquest into his brother's death now appears to be a "cover up" to find more reasons to justify the summary killing.
For example, he said, police testified that there is no need to lift fingerprints off the parang allegedly used to charge at police, resulting in the shooting, to prove Dinesh had used it.
"It is just another cover up. There are more excuses given for the cause of the death,” he added.
Rajan (left)
said even getting an inquest into the death also took many months,
while police have already decided his brother was a criminal.
"They say he was part of some gang but the supposed gang members were arrested separately and no charges made...
"The day after the shooting when Dinesh was fighting for his life in hospital, they cuffed him to the bed and did not allow family in.
"We will not give up. He will not be remembered as a criminal," he told Malaysiakini after the press conference.
Today,
on paper torn out of notebooks, both Kuppusamy and Rajan wrote
impassioned appeals to Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar
seeking the same.
The letters will be passed to Khalid later by HRW Asia deputy director Phil Robertson who will meet the IGP to discuss the report.
Robertson will also meet representatives of the Prime Minister's Office tomorrow to urge the government to implement lengthy recommendations listed in the report.
"Abuse by police make Malaysians weary of trusting the police and make it difficult for police to build local relationships...to do their job.
"Hence draconian laws like the Prevention of Crime Act (are used)," he said.
The 102-page report found little political will to address systemic issues, which stem mostly from lack of oversight and has led to prolonged abuse and leave victims with little recourse.
But the 80-year-old retired Tamil school teacher was dealt a blow when his 40-year-old nephew, whom he refers to as his son, died after he was assaulted by the police at the roadside while his hands were cuffed behind his back last year.
H
owever, the post mortem stated that he died of a heart attack.The inquest into his death is ongoing but it started only after the family buried Sugumaran’s remains upon failing to get a second post mortem months after his death.
Vowing to fight for justice, Kuppusamy (left) said: "Sugumaran was not cattle or a bird. He was a human being... I want rights for all, not just for my son.”
"Police are not God. The government is not God. (Only) God can give and take life...
"Police have no power to kill people. They can only guard people," he said in halting English.
Kuppusamy was speaking at launch of the Human Rights Watch's report on police abuse in Kuala Lumpur.
Will an inquest bring back my brother?
Also present was D Ranjan, 30, who in August 2012 lost his youngest brother, Dinesh, 26, in a police shooting.
“A life is gone. Why is an inquiry done only after? Can I get back my brother back?" he asked.
More than a year on, Ranjan said the ongoing inquest into his brother's death now appears to be a "cover up" to find more reasons to justify the summary killing.
For example, he said, police testified that there is no need to lift fingerprints off the parang allegedly used to charge at police, resulting in the shooting, to prove Dinesh had used it.
"It is just another cover up. There are more excuses given for the cause of the death,” he added.
Rajan (left)
said even getting an inquest into the death also took many months,
while police have already decided his brother was a criminal."They say he was part of some gang but the supposed gang members were arrested separately and no charges made...
"The day after the shooting when Dinesh was fighting for his life in hospital, they cuffed him to the bed and did not allow family in.
"We will not give up. He will not be remembered as a criminal," he told Malaysiakini after the press conference.
Today,
on paper torn out of notebooks, both Kuppusamy and Rajan wrote
impassioned appeals to Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar
seeking the same.The letters will be passed to Khalid later by HRW Asia deputy director Phil Robertson who will meet the IGP to discuss the report.
Robertson will also meet representatives of the Prime Minister's Office tomorrow to urge the government to implement lengthy recommendations listed in the report.
"Abuse by police make Malaysians weary of trusting the police and make it difficult for police to build local relationships...to do their job.
"Hence draconian laws like the Prevention of Crime Act (are used)," he said.
The 102-page report found little political will to address systemic issues, which stem mostly from lack of oversight and has led to prolonged abuse and leave victims with little recourse.
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