Uthaya’s lawyer wants action to be taken on warder

 

Hindu Rights Action Force leader P Uthayakumar, has alleged that a prison warder had asked a detainee to injure him.

The complaint follows a letter sent by Uthayakumar’s lawyer M Manoharan to Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, dated today, asking the ministry to take action on the warder and others who had threatened to hurt his client.

Manoharan in the letter claims a prisoner by the name of R Vijayakumar had lodged a formal complaint alleging that a prison warder (named only as Ramana) had asked him to injure Uthayakumar badly.

“I met with Vijayakumar on April 23, where he verified that he had been asked by the warder to hurt Uthayakumar. This follows Uthayakumar has raised issues which are detrimental to the Kajang prison authorities including the discrimination and violence on the inmates there,” he said.

“Vijakumar said he had been offered tobacco if he successfully injured Uthayakumar. The warder also told Vijakumar that if he successfully hurt Uthayakumar, and is found guilty and placed in a dark room, he (Vijayakumar) would be given special treatment by the prison authorities.”

Manoharan said Vijayakumar also informed him that threats were also made against him for lodging the formal report.

Manoharan states that they view the threats on Uthayakumar seriously, and wanted the minister to investigate this allegation.

Prior to this, it was reported that Uthayakumar had last week filed a court action to initiate committal proceedings against the Kajang prison director and two warders for not abiding with the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling to allow lawyers to meet him.

In the application, Uthayakumar claimed he was not separated from other hardcore prisoners in his cell, whereas the court had considered him a political prisoner and should be held isolated from others.

Manoharan further said Uthayakumar told him on April 23 that he had been kept in a dark room, without any reason or being charged with any offence.

“We want the minister to take swift action against the prison warder alleged in the matter before some untoward incident befell my client. The prison authorities should not react in such a manner as this go against the principle of rule of law and natural justice,” he said.

Uthayakumar is serving a two-and-a-half years jail sentence after being found guilty of sedition.