Kugan’s death- L/Cpl et al is responsible

ARCHIVES 2009

By admin-s On Oct 2, 2009

By Dr. Rafick

1. Malaysiakini reported today, “Nine months after the death of A. Kugan, a police personnel was charged at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court with causing hurt to the 23-year-old detainee”. I am sure the police have done a very thorough investigation because it took them 9 months for the AG to finally conclude the matter that took place in a police station.

2. At the beginning when the death, Selangor CPO, Dato Khalid released a few statements related to the criminal nature of Kugan background. The message that he was trying to convey drew public criticism because he implied that the death is acceptable since Kugan is a criminal. He was trying to protect his men as well as the image of the force. Wrongfully, I disagree with him as it has brought shame to the police force.

3. It is not my intent to protect Kugan or defamed the Police. I hope my writing is not being taken as a as indication to protect an alleged or an actual criminal. Whether a person is actually a criminal, he still has rights.

4. The police are regarded as a public protector. In doing their job, they have to face many risk and sometimes has to resort to some extreme measures to extort evidence from uncooperative individuals. In the case of Kugan, the Selangor CPO says that he was a member of a car smuggling syndicate and he was uncooperative. Being uncooperative means he has to suffer in order to extract information. This led to his death. No matter who is being interrogated, no one should die while they are in the police custody. The police role is to investigate but not to pass judgment or sentences. That is the role of the court.

5. After a long lull and intermittent community uproar, I was not surprised to read that a lowly L/Cpl was charged for the death. To charge one person raised more questions than shutting people’s up. Maybe he whacked Kugan with a rubber hose but did he did not do it for the fun of it or did he do it because he was ordered to. Sometimes in a murder, the person who pulled the trigger may be less guilty than the person who ordered the person is to be shot.