'Cops tortured us, broke my nose'
Malaysiakini
Sep 30, 2006
Andrew Ong

A security guard claimed he was assaulted and forced to admit to crimes he did not commit by the police while under detention last week.

A Steven Raj, 28, made the allegations in his police report today at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters.

According to his lawyer N Surendran, Steven and furniture shop worker M Eswaran, 21, were approached by plainclothes police officers in the carpark of a shopping centre in Kelana Jaya and were subjected to an identification card check.

However, when a penknife, screwdriver and cellophane tape were found in Eswaran’s pouch, the duo were arrested and brought to the Kelana Jaya police station where the alleged assault took place.

“Six plain-clothed policemen entered the room I was in. They beat me and my friend. I was punched and kicked on the nose with a boot by one of the officers. My nose bled.

“I was told by a doctor after I was freed (on bail) on Sept 29 that my nose was broken,” read the report, which adds that he was hit with a rubber hose.

The report also alleged that Steven saw Eswaran being laid on the floor while handcuffed, following which he was stepped on and kick by the alleged assailants.

Serial remand

Steven was accompanied by his counsel S Surendran and P Uthayakumar (left). Also present was Parti Keadilan Rakyat Youth vice-chief S Manikavasagam and Kota Raja PKR information chief Razak Ismail and Police Watch Malaysia coordinator V Chandran.

Both Steven and Eswaran were charged in court yesterday for robbery related offences but freed on bail. According to Surendran, Eswaran was re-arrested immediately after court proceedings and his whereabouts unknown.

The lawyer added that Steven has no police record.

Speaking to reporters earlier, Uthayakumar challenged the police to substantiate why Eswaran had to be re-arrested, considering that they had nine days to do the necessary investigation before charging him.

“They had nine solid days. The only reason why they re-arrested him is for the wounds to heal,” said Uthayakumar, adding that the wounds were shown to the magistrate yesterday.

Uthayakumar then lamented that the problem of ‘serial remand’ is still ongoing. The present system allows a detainee to be remanded for a maximum for 14 days at different police stations which can go on indefinitely without given a chance to prove his innocence.