DAP blames BN for cops playing cowboys with Indians

By Clara Chooi - The Malaysian Insider

IPOH, Nov 15 – A DAP politician has accused the Barisan Nasional (BN) government of waging a war of revenge against the Indian community by ordering the police to kill suspected criminals.

Ipoh Barat DAP secretary P. Sugumaran (pic) lambasted the action, saying that the police had no right to pass judgement without first asking them to surrender.

“Their actions are clearly the BN’s political agenda to take revenge on the Indian community in the country.

“But how different are they from the suspected criminals they murder when their actions are tantamount to a criminal act in itself?” Sugumaran said in a statement here yesterday.

He cited the Nov 8 incident in Klang when the police had shot dead five robbers during a high-speed car chase and the recent shooting of the Deva Gang leader in Penang.

The incident involving the five had raised public outcry over similar killings in the past, particularly of Indian suspected criminals, especially after the sister of one deceased attempted suicide along with her four children.

Since then, questions have been raised over the methods used by the police to curb crime by sending suspected criminals to their deaths instead of giving them their right to justice.

The police have however come out in their own defence, with Federal Criminal Investigation Department director Bakri Zinin claiming in a statement that in all shootouts, the police were fired at first.

He also claimed they did not respond in kind to kill the suspects but rather to “stop the deadly threat from causing hurt to innocent bystanders”.

Sugumaran rubbished these claims and said that the trigger-happy cops were just proving their incompetence in carrying out their duties.

“And each time a suspect is shot dead by the police, heaps of stories would be created to defame the name of the dead individual and justify the police’s action.

“Why is it that the police seem to enjoy killing these suspected Indian criminals without first ascertaining if they are alone or in a group?” he said.

He urged the government to respond to the outcry over the police’s “uncivilised” method.

"Why is it that the identities of the police involved have never once been exposed?

"What actions are the government willing to take to stop this from recurring?" he questioned.