Suaram wants police torture allegation investigated

Suaram says Bukit Aman should investigate a lawyer’s allegation that his client was assaulted and had chilli smeared on his private parts.

(FMT) – A human rights group wants Bukit Aman to investigate the latest complaint of torture against several police officers instead of allowing the station, where the alleged incident took place, to do it.

Suaram said the federal police headquarters should take over the case while waiting for the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to be set up.

S Mahedran, wanted in connection with armed robbery, alleged that the abuse took place at the Sentul police headquarters after he surrendered himself.

MalayMail Online quoted his lawyer M Visvanathan as saying that Mahedran, 30, had gone to the station on April 29 after learning that he was on the wanted list.

Visvanathan alleged that on the same day, the police assaulted his client by first handcuffing him to the back, before beating him on the neck area.

He said the police officers also kicked, punched and stripped his client naked.

“They smeared pounded chilli all over his body, especially his private parts,” he was quoted as saying.

Visvanathan alleged that Mahedran was also tasered and laid on ice cubes naked.

He said the torture went on for 13 hours daily while Mahedran was under police remand.

According to MalayMail Online, he also alleged that the officers threatened Mahedran that they would target his mother and “would not hesitate” to rape his sister.

Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy said Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador should transfer the case to Bukit Aman instead of allowing the Sentul police headquarters to investigate.

“The same police station shouldn’t be probing the complaint. Let Bukit Aman do it while waiting for the IPCMC to be set up,” he told FMT.

Sevan also said there was a long list of complaints against the police and some of them had ended without action being taken.

However, Sentul police chief S Shanmugamoorthy gave an assurance that the investigation would be fair.

“I am taking this case seriously. We will probe in the most transparent manner and it will carried out thoroughly,” he told FMT.

Shanmugamoorthy could not say how long the investigation would take as there were several processes involved, including waiting for the medical report.