Nine years ago today, L Yoges Rao died
while being held overnight at a police station in Sitiawan, Perak. The
22-year old had been arrested on 10 Dec 2003 and was then taken to his
sister Mahaletchumy’s house by six plainclothes police personnel.
According
to a news report, his sister claimed that the police personnel
assaulted L Yoges Rao, first in her presence and then in a locked room,
resulting in him screaming in pain and pleading for the police to stop
assaulting him.
Although
the burial permit for L Yoges Rao reportedly stated that he had died of
stomach ulcer, photographs of the deceased showed various marks and
injuries on his body. Mahaletchumy subsequently lodged a police report
on her brother’s death at the Air Tawar police station.
Despite
the requirement that all custodial deaths be investigated by inquiries
conducted pursuant to Chapter XXXII of the Criminal Procedure Code, it
does not appear that an inquest has been conducted into L Yoges Rao’s
death.
Every
death in custody must be thoroughly and impartially investigated. L
Yoges Rao’s death must not be relegated to a mere statistic.
Based
on the statistics disclosed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, 156
persons died in police custody between 2000 until February 2011.
We express our heartfelt condolences to L Yoges Rao’s family and friends on the recent anniversary of his death.
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