Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) has alleged that some of the 14 women detained in the  Kepala Batas police lock-up since Sunday have been assaulted, mistreated and denied visitation rights.

NONE Central committee member V Selvam (left) claimed that one had been “pushed and spat on”, while another, G Pakialetchumy, was allegedly “kicked on the legs”.

Detainee P Jody, who asked for drinking water, was told to drink from the toilet bowl, he added.

"When a detainee asked for drinking water to take pills for diabetes, she was given syrup water," he told Malaysiakini in Kepala Batas last night.

"When the women were told to change into lock-up clothes, male officers were in front of them.” He claimed that the cell is overcrowded as it is meant to hold six detainees at any one time.

However, all 14 detainees are confined in one cell which has a toilet that does not work.

"That is why we became suspicious when the police denied the families their visitation rights yesterday although they were told on Monday that they would be allowed in," he said.

About 40 family members of the detainees had turned up at the Kepala Batas police station about 11.30am yesterday.

They left about 9.30pm, after a group of "residents from nearby villages" heckled them, demanding that they leave the area in order to prevent “chaos”.

The families, who were dejected after the 11-hour wait, were later escorted by several PAS members to a nearby village for temporary shelter.

Selvam lodged a police report in Kepala Batas at about 12.30am today on the various complaints received.

‘They’re no communists’

TRS Mohadevi, 53, said she is "sad and disappointed" that she is unable to see her sister-in-law Jody.

She had come from Chemor on behalf of her brother, who is busy with work, as the family is "very worried". She said Jody, 52, suffers from various health problems.

NONE "She has diabetes, back problems and high blood pressure. She cannot stand very long," said Mohadevi (right in photo) , with tears in her eyes.

"My sister-in-law is not a criminal, why must she be treated like this? To me, she and the other activists were merely doing a public service. She is not a terrorist. Why remand her for so long?"

Mohadevi also said Jody has been wrongly accused by police, who have claimed that the PSM activists are communists out to topple the federal government.

"Don't the police know the difference between communists and those who were merely carrying out community work? Don't they know it is because the government has failed us that we have to carry out these activities?”

NONE R Sundari, 55, said she had also brought medicines for husband M Sivasamy, 55, who suffers from gastritis. The homemaker had travelled from Kampung Cepu Tasek, Sungai Siput.

"The police told me that if anything happens to my husband, they would send him to the hospital themselves," said Sundari, who has three grown-up children.

"But I am still worried and I am not sure if they will really send him for a medical check-up if he is sick.”

The detainees have been remanded up to Saturday, but an application to revise the order is to be filed this afternoon at the Penang High Court.

There are 21 detainees in the Kepala Batas police lock-up, seven in Penang, and two in Sungai Dua.

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