Deputy ministers to be summoned for questioning

PETALING JAYA (Jan 22, 2009) : Police will call up two deputy ministers who were present at the Serdang Hospital mortuary during an incident where about 50 family members and friends of 22-year-old lock up detainee A.Kugan who died in police custody allegedly forced their way into the place to view his body late on Monday.

Selangor police chief DCP Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said a police report was lodged with Sepang police by an official at the mortuary who alleged that several dozen people who turned up at the morgue had barged in and wheeled out Kugan's body of of the cold room.

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The hospital official also alleged that the people had handled the body and took photos of it.

Khalid said police have classified and are probing the case as trespass with criminal intent and also for criminal intimidation.

He said it was wrong for anyone except for hospital officials to handle the body as a post mortem had yet to be conducted and there is an ongoing probe into the death of the man.

He said the hospital official had called the police and a police officer at the scene permitted only a family member to identify the body at the time of the incident but this was defied and the crowd rushed in.

Although he did not name the two deputy ministers, it is understood that they are Datuk S.K.Devamany and T.Murugiah, both who are with the Prime Minister's Department and were present at the hospital during the incident.

Khalid said a post mortem carried out out on the body of lock detainee A.Kugan showed that he had died of excessive fluid in his lungs.

He said the report also stated that the injuries found on the deceased's body was not the result of his death.

"However, I assure the family of Kugan that we will not spare anyone responsible for the injuries caused on him. We are probing and when we identify those involved and have gathered enough evidence, I will make sure justice is served."

"I give you my word that there will be no cover up as I do not cordone to such abuse of powers if that was the case.I urge the family members to be calm and not take the law into their own hands." he said.

At about 2.30pm, Kugan's funeral took place at his house at Puchong Kinrara. Among the 200 people who attended it was MIC President Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu.

Kugan was arrested on Jan 15 for suspected car theft and remanded till Wednesday. However,on Tuesday during interogation by police, he collapsed and died.

Police had said that they made a recovery of 15 stolen cars at a warehouse in Puchong following his arrest.

His family, Kapar MP S.Manikavasagam and Keadilan's Selangor Youth leader Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin have each lodged a police report alleging foulplay in Kugan's death and urged a thorough probe be conducted.

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Deputy ministers say they are prepared to give statements to police

Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, Thu.: Police will investigate the cause of death of a suspect in a Subang Jaya police lock-up as there are allegations that he died of physical abuse, Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said today.

He said a post-mortem report showed that A. Kugan, 22, died of lung infection but there had been claims of injury marks on his body.

“I hope the family and the public will be patient as there will be no cover-up in the investigation,” he told reporters after the launch of a road safety campaign at the Kajang-Seremban Highway (Lekas) here.

“We regret that the family and members of the public barged into the Serdang Hospital mortuary where the body was kept, yesterday. We will record a statement from a deputy minister, who was present then,” he said.

Kugan, who was detained on Jan 15 on suspicion of being involved in the theft of luxury cars in stioned.
He had reportedly asked for water and vomited after drinking it and then collapsed.

The policemen present immediately summoned a doctor from a nearby clinic to examine Kugan, who was pronounced dead.

Meanwhile, two deputy ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk S.K. Devamany and Senator T. Murugiah, said today they were prepared to have their statements recorded by the police.

Both Devamany and Murugiah were at the Serdang Hospital yesterday when some people created a commotion at the mortuary where Kugan’s body was kept.

Devamany, who is also MIC treasurer-general, told Bernama the Sepang police had contacted him over the statement.

“I got a call from someone who told me about this case and hoped for my presence at the hospital where the post-mortem was conducted. It was not only to seek the truth for the family of the man but also to calm down the situation and ensure that it was under control,” he said.

Murugiah said he went to the hospital after receiving a few calls from the media about a commotion there, and that he and Devamany managed to calm the situation.

“My duty as per the Public Complaints Bureau is to check on complaints from the public. Is it an offence to address public complaints?” he said.

Murugiah also said that he had briefed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok on the suspect’s death and that the minister had agreed to raise the matter with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.