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‘Police and Hospital KKB culpable for death in custody of Thanaseelan?’

There is yet another death in police custody, barely three weeks after Balamurugan Suppiah made the news.

There are slight variations to both these cases, with Balamurugan’s body showing clear signs of ‘physical abuse’ by the police; while Thanaseelan Muniandy died of septicaemia due to suppurative peritonitis as a result of a perforated gastric ulcer.

According to the pathologist, Thanaseelan would have suffered acute pain as there was so much pus in his stomach.

Unfortunately, the police did not respond to Thanaseelan with emergency. He wasn’t taken to the hospital immediately despite his condition.

It’s anyone’s guess that Thanaseelan would have exhibited visible signs of pain and physical distress. The pathologist said he would have been extremely weak and wouldn’t have been able to eat.

And yet the police didn’t see it fit to rush him to the hospital. Once again, the police have shirked their responsibility and duty as the deceased was under their custody.

His family would have to live with the nightmare that Thanaseelan’s death could have been prevented if the police had acted on time.

The police had also failed to immediately notify Thanaseelan’s wife and children about his terminal health condition. In fact, they ‘lied’ to the family. claiming he was ill when he had already passed away.

Such negligence speaks poorly of the police’s already tarnished image.

The events at Hospital Kuala Kubu Baru (KKB), too, remain a mystery. The details are murky and leave crucial questions unanswered. He was brought to the hospital hours before he was pronounced dead in the early hours of Feb 25, 2016.

Why wasn’t Thanaseelan admitted into the ward when he was clearly in a critical condition?

Why did the doctor send him back to prison after allegedly prescribing antacid for gastric?

The hospital and its doctors are therefore culpable in Thanaseelan’s death.

I can easily deduce that the doctors wouldn’t have felt compelled to give him their time of day because he was a convict.

This is outrageous as doctors need to discharge their duties professionally, with the same respect and level of care to all patients.

Clearly police complacency and medical negligence by doctors have contributed to Thanaseelan’s death.

And it’s imminent that the police officers and doctors who were handling Thanaseelan’s case be suspended and a thorough and impartial investigation carried out.

Yesterday, I was at the Sungai Buloh Hospital to provide support to the family. And the words of Thanaseelan’s wife not only hold true but keep ringing in my ears.

She said: “The police treat people as birds, cats and cows. But for us they are our loved ones. And today, they have taken a life... my husband’s.”


CHARLES SANTIAGO is Member of Parliament, Klang.

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