KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 — Citing the lack of any arrests four days after suspected car thief A Kugan died in police custody, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) today questioned the integrity of the police force and further accused the Attorney-General's office of being in cahoots with the police.
In a press statement, Hindraf chairman P. Waytha Moorthy accused the two parties of wanting "to subdue public outcry" instead of actually solving the murder.
"Why have those who committed this murder not been arrested?" he asked.
"All we hear are contradicting statements from the police force and the A-G's office to downplay the whole incident. Kugan's brutal murder was committed while he was in police detention. Why do the police force and A-G need three days before even classifying it as a murder?" he added.
This has raised questions regarding "the integrity, accountability and transparency of the police force and whether it is in cahoots with the A-G's office in issuing statements just to create an atmosphere to subdue public outcry," said Waytha Moorthy, adding that this amounted to "foul play by the Umno-led administration."
Kugan, 22, was detained on Jan 15 on suspicion of being involved in stealing luxury cars in Sungai Chua, Kajang.
He died five days later while under detention by Subang Jaya police and his family is claiming he was tortured in a case which has sparked a furious reaction from an Indian community which has grown suspicious of alleged police victimisation.
Police claim he vomited and suddenly collapsed while being questioned and was later pronounced dead.
Police later denied Kugan's family a second post-mortem, saying they would need a court order but Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail later said the family had a right to a second autopsy.
In his statement, Waytha Moorthy suggested that there were double standards being practised which discriminated against a "defenseless Malaysian Indian".
"Is this going to be another cover-up and hoodwinking? Why is there preferential justice for the perpetrators?” he asked, suggesting that this was so because they were police officers.
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