Four minors 'arrested and beaten' by cops, says HRP

Four 14-year-old ethnic Indians allegedly assaulted by a group of Malay youths and went to the Setapak police station to lodge police reports were said to have instead been detained and beaten up by the men in blue and forced to confess to criminal offences.

A 21-year-old friend of the Indian teenagers who tried to come to their assistance when they were set upon by the youths, was also allegedly attacked by the mob, who were said to have been armed with parang and iron rods.
He consequently had to be warded at the Intensive Care Unit of Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL).

Assisted by the education bureau chief of the Human Rights Party (HRP), G Ganeson, the frustrated parents and guardians of the five alleged victims called a press conference today and demanded that police release their children immediately and take stern action against those who had assaulted the teens.
Ganeson, who is also representing the families as their lawyer, said M Indran, 14, was on his way back to his house in a flat at Kg Baru Air Panas in Setapak late yesterday evening when some 10 Malay youths stopped him and kicked him in the abdomen, after accusing him of throwing an object at them from an upper floor of the flat.

"He was on his way home, so how could he have thrown something from an upper floor? This has no logic at all," Ganeson said.

Three friends of Indran - Ravitharan, Arvin Raj and Saativel, all of the same age - who came to his aid, were also beaten up by the mob, he said.

"The group of four ran away, and got to Saravanan's house at another block to ask for help."

Assaulted with parang and iron rod

When Saravanan, 21, confronted the mob, he was also said to have been assaulted with a parang and beaten on his head with an iron rod.

"When Indran, Ravitharan, Arvin Raj and Saativel went to the Setapak police station to lodge a police report on their attack, they were arrested and locked up.

"In the police lock-up, they were beaten up and told to plead guilty to criminal offences... the police did not arrest the 10 Malay mobsters they came to complain about," Ganeson said.

To rub salt into the wound, the police also took seven-day remand orders against the four and plan to arrest Saravanan, who is waiting for surgery at the KLH, Ganeson said.

The parents and guardians have lodged a total of 18 police reports against the police for their "racial bias" in handling the case.

HRP information chief S Jayathas has also written to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar asking for immediate action against the mob and the Setapak police.

"Just because you belong to a particular race group, you are above the law, is it?" asked a fuming Ganeson.

"For God's sake, why the need for the seven-day remand? They are the victims! Why victimise these children?"

A neighbour who witnessed the incident, C Devi, 34, questioned the unfair action of the police.

"The boys were beaten up and arrested without reason, but the people who beat them are scot free. Why do police have such a racist and cruel attitude?" Devi (left) asked.

One of the parents, K Linda Malar, said police initially informed her that her son had been taken in for questioning.

"Only at the police station did they say that he would be remanded for investigation. If he is to be investigated, where is the need to remand him for one week? We won't know what will they do to him inside... beating?" the mother said, with teary eyes.

Another mother, M Letchumy, wanted an immediate answer from the authorities.

"They (the mob) are the people who did wrong. But why is my son the victim? The police must explain," Letchumy (left) said.

Ganeson pointed out that this was not the first case of biased treatment by the police in handling disputes involving ethnic Indians.

A previous case in Nilai involved a Form Three Indian schoolboy who was severely assaulted, but no action was taken by the police, he said.

He also called on the prime minister to ensure that the recently announced legal aid of RM5 million would be provided to the needy people from the remand stage right up to the trial stage.