Why was he the only one hauled up, ask kin

(NST) – “It’s a start. We waited for almost 10 months.” This was the reaction from lawyer and Puchong member of parliament Gobind Singh Deo after constable V. Navindran was charged with causing injuries to suspected car thief, A. Kugan.

He said the attorney-general should go further and show that he is serious when it came to such offences.

“It is clear from the chronology of events that Kugan was interrogated by more than one person.

 

“Police ought to know who else was involved in interrogating Kugan,” said Gobind, who is holding a watching brief for Kugan’s family.

Kugan, 23, was arrested in connection with investigations into a car theft syndicate on Jan 15 and had died at the Taipan police station on Jan 20.

Navindran was part of the investigation team and was also involved in interrogating the suspect and watching over Kugan during his detention.

It is learnt that Navindran was assigned to desk duties at the Selangor police headquarters after investigations into Kugan’s death began.

Kugan’s death sparked a huge outcry from his family who blamed the police.

Gobind further questioned why only one person was charged when earlier reports stated that 11 policemen were transferred pending investigations.

“He was charged with a light offence (not murder). In my mind, section 331 of the Penal Code should be deleted, as this section seems to suggest that it is okay for the police to cause grievous hurt to suspects during interrogation.

“And if the suspect dies, they will not be charged with murder but under this section, which only carries a maximum 10 years’ jail.

“That cannot be the case. If somebody has died as a result of severe beating or torture, that person must be held responsible like an ordinary rakyat and be charged with either murder or manslaughter,” said Gobind.

He said that Kugan’s family was also disappointed that only one person was charged.

“The multiple injuries on Kugan’s body speaks for itself. It’s hard to believe that only one person can be responsible for all those injuries.”

Gobind said they would be writing to the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail for an explanation.

“The family will not stop here. We want answers. We will put in a representation, asking the Attorney-General to reconsider the situation.”