Tarani Palani (Malaysiakini) | Jun 1, 09 4:55pm
On Saturday morning, Thilak Chellapan, 27, was severely beaten by a group of men after he was allegedly caught red-handed trying to rob a house in Port Dickson.
Several hours later, Thilak (left) was pronounced dead at Hospital Port Dickson in Bandar Sungala.
The family was told that the post-mortem revealed he had succumbed to heart complications.
Barely 48 hours later, the hospital could not be certain of the cause of death following a second post-mortem and this has caused anguish for the deceased's family.
The family has yet to receive a copy of the first post-mortem report. They had only been informed verbally by a doctor regarding the cause of death.
Dissatisfied with the findings, the family had requested for the second post-mortem to be carried out.
According to the family's lawyer Jason Tan, he was later informed by a doctor that the cause of death has yet to be ascertained.
"They acknowledged that there were bruises all over his body which were caused by a blunt object but they do not know if this caused the death," he added.
According to Tan, there was swelling of the brain and also the heart but a histology test has to be carried out to determine the exact cause of death.
"The deceased also suffered shock and extreme pain," he added.
When contacted, a hospital spokesperson said post-mortems are carried out for the purpose of police cases.
"As to answer questions pertaining to the details and discrepancies (of the post-mortem), we leave it to the pathologist," he said.
Thilak, a former tow-truck operator, is the youngest of 12 children.
'Thilak not involved'
The family also claimed that Thilak was not involved in any criminal activities.
His brother Arasu said the deceased was not the one who allegedly robbed the house.
According to him, their estranged nephew who was just released from prison after serving a three-year jail sentence was the culprit.
"One of Thilak's friends (who was allegedly involved in the crime) had asked the nephew to call him (Thilak) to fetch them from the house.
"But Thilak said that he was at work and couldn't go over to fetch them," he told Malaysiakini.
He also claimed that the persons who allegedly attacked Thilak then traced the phone call to Thilak and got him entangled in the case.
"They took my brother Rajen as 'hostage' and made him contact Thilak.
"When Thilak finally went to see them, Rajen was released and they (took Thilak in the car and) sped away with him," he said, adding that they only saw Thilak at the police station after that.
The nephew's whereabouts are unknown, he added.
'Cops could have done more'
Arasu's wife Carolyn Harol Haden told Malaysiakini that one of Thilak's brothers received a text message around 6am, stating that the deceased would be sent to the Port Dickson police station and then to the hospital.
The message also read, "We have smashed your brother's head."
Following this, Carolyn said she and several other family members rushed to the police station around 7am and found that Thilak could barely stand due to his injuries.
"He wanted to use the toilet, so two of my brothers-in-law helped him but he just collapsed outside the toilet," she added.
Carolyn also expressed disappointment with the police, saying they could have done more to assist Thilak.
She said the family had pleaded with the police to allow them to personally take him to the hospital but was barred from doing so.
The policemen said they had to wait for a police van to transport Thilak to the hospital, she added.
"He was complaining to the police that he was in extreme pain and had difficulty in breathing. But the policemen accused him of pretending," she claimed.
Dismissing his plea for help, Carolyn said the policemen continued to record statements from the two individuals who brought Thilak to the police station.
Two men have been detained
Negeri Sembilan police chief Osman Salleh told Malaysiakini that policemen escorted Thilak to the hospital around 8.30am and stayed with him at the hospital.
He added that two men, in their early 30s, were detained on the same day to facilitate investigations.
Carolyn said she and the others did not follow Thilak to the hospital because she was pregnant and had to return home.
The family later received a call around 11am informing them of Thilak's death.
"We are not saying that the police caused this but they could have been much more helpful," said Carolyn.
Vell Paari: Was the police negligent?
In a related development, MIC Youth advisor Vell Paari called for a thorough investigation to determine if the police had been negligent with regards to ensuring Thilak received prompt medical attention.
"We know this is not a case of police abuse. But was the police negligent by not taking him to the hospital immediately?" he asked.
"Who knows, he could have been saved if medical attention was given earlier," he told Malaysiakini.
Furthermore, Vell Paari said the family had pleaded with the police to take him but this went unheeded.
In view of this, the MIC Youth advisor said a probe must be launched in relation to the police's standard operating procedure in such cases and to check if there was any element of negligence on their part.
On Saturday morning, Thilak Chellapan, 27, was severely beaten by a group of men after he was allegedly caught red-handed trying to rob a house in Port Dickson.
Several hours later, Thilak (left) was pronounced dead at Hospital Port Dickson in Bandar Sungala.The family was told that the post-mortem revealed he had succumbed to heart complications.
Barely 48 hours later, the hospital could not be certain of the cause of death following a second post-mortem and this has caused anguish for the deceased's family.
The family has yet to receive a copy of the first post-mortem report. They had only been informed verbally by a doctor regarding the cause of death.
Dissatisfied with the findings, the family had requested for the second post-mortem to be carried out.
According to the family's lawyer Jason Tan, he was later informed by a doctor that the cause of death has yet to be ascertained.
"They acknowledged that there were bruises all over his body which were caused by a blunt object but they do not know if this caused the death," he added.
According to Tan, there was swelling of the brain and also the heart but a histology test has to be carried out to determine the exact cause of death.
"The deceased also suffered shock and extreme pain," he added.
When contacted, a hospital spokesperson said post-mortems are carried out for the purpose of police cases.
"As to answer questions pertaining to the details and discrepancies (of the post-mortem), we leave it to the pathologist," he said.
Thilak, a former tow-truck operator, is the youngest of 12 children.
'Thilak not involved'
The family also claimed that Thilak was not involved in any criminal activities.
His brother Arasu said the deceased was not the one who allegedly robbed the house.
According to him, their estranged nephew who was just released from prison after serving a three-year jail sentence was the culprit.
"One of Thilak's friends (who was allegedly involved in the crime) had asked the nephew to call him (Thilak) to fetch them from the house.
"But Thilak said that he was at work and couldn't go over to fetch them," he told Malaysiakini.
He also claimed that the persons who allegedly attacked Thilak then traced the phone call to Thilak and got him entangled in the case.
"They took my brother Rajen as 'hostage' and made him contact Thilak.
"When Thilak finally went to see them, Rajen was released and they (took Thilak in the car and) sped away with him," he said, adding that they only saw Thilak at the police station after that.
The nephew's whereabouts are unknown, he added.
'Cops could have done more'
Arasu's wife Carolyn Harol Haden told Malaysiakini that one of Thilak's brothers received a text message around 6am, stating that the deceased would be sent to the Port Dickson police station and then to the hospital.
The message also read, "We have smashed your brother's head."
Following this, Carolyn said she and several other family members rushed to the police station around 7am and found that Thilak could barely stand due to his injuries.
"He wanted to use the toilet, so two of my brothers-in-law helped him but he just collapsed outside the toilet," she added.
Carolyn also expressed disappointment with the police, saying they could have done more to assist Thilak.
She said the family had pleaded with the police to allow them to personally take him to the hospital but was barred from doing so.
The policemen said they had to wait for a police van to transport Thilak to the hospital, she added.
"He was complaining to the police that he was in extreme pain and had difficulty in breathing. But the policemen accused him of pretending," she claimed.
Dismissing his plea for help, Carolyn said the policemen continued to record statements from the two individuals who brought Thilak to the police station.
Two men have been detained
Negeri Sembilan police chief Osman Salleh told Malaysiakini that policemen escorted Thilak to the hospital around 8.30am and stayed with him at the hospital.
He added that two men, in their early 30s, were detained on the same day to facilitate investigations.
Carolyn said she and the others did not follow Thilak to the hospital because she was pregnant and had to return home.
The family later received a call around 11am informing them of Thilak's death.
"We are not saying that the police caused this but they could have been much more helpful," said Carolyn.
Vell Paari: Was the police negligent?
In a related development, MIC Youth advisor Vell Paari called for a thorough investigation to determine if the police had been negligent with regards to ensuring Thilak received prompt medical attention.
"We know this is not a case of police abuse. But was the police negligent by not taking him to the hospital immediately?" he asked."Who knows, he could have been saved if medical attention was given earlier," he told Malaysiakini.
Furthermore, Vell Paari said the family had pleaded with the police to take him but this went unheeded.
In view of this, the MIC Youth advisor said a probe must be launched in relation to the police's standard operating procedure in such cases and to check if there was any element of negligence on their part.
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