COMMENT | Ganapathy, Sivabalan's custodial deaths neither the first nor last
COMMENT | There is no end to deaths in custody in the country.
The latest victim of custodial death at the infamous Gombak police station is one S Sivabalan, a security guard.
Just less than a month ago, in the same police station, a cow milk trader, A Ganapathy died in police custody.
He was alleged to have been beaten by policemen while in custody. A charge that has been denied vehemently by the outgoing Gombak police chief Arifai Tarawe.
In fact, Arifai was so upset with two online media articles on the death of Ganapathy that he sent a legal notice to the news portal for defamation.
Hardly a month has passed and there is another sudden death at the Gombak police station.
Sivabalan was arrested on May 20, 2021, and brought to the Gombak district police headquarters at 11.20am. He was kept in custody at the police station there.
Sivabalan was arrested for an ...
COMMENT | There is no end to deaths in custody in the country.
The latest victim of custodial death at the infamous Gombak police station is one S Sivabalan, a security guard.
Just less than a month ago, in the same police station, a cow milk trader, A Ganapathy died in police custody.
He was alleged to have been beaten by policemen while in custody. A charge that has been denied vehemently by the outgoing Gombak police chief Arifai Tarawe.
In fact, Arifai was so upset with two online media articles on the death of Ganapathy that he sent a legal notice to the news portal concerned for defamation.
Hardly a month has passed and there is another sudden death at the Gombak police station.
Sivabalan was arrested on May 20, 2021, and brought to the Gombak district police headquarters at 11.20am. He was kept in custody at the police station there.
Sivabalan was arrested for an extortion case. After experiencing breathing difficulties, Sivabalan died around 12.20pm after a Selayang Hospital medical emergency team failed to revive him.
According to Arifai, Sivabalan had a history of heart disease. The deceased had two criminal records, one for illegal drugs and the other for a criminal offence.
There have been too many deaths in custody in the country, not just in the police stations but also in prisons.
Under the present circumstances, there is no way that the public can subject the police to take responsibility for their actions.
There are no institutionalised mechanisms in place to probe the police for misconduct. It is a long foregone conclusion that the police cannot be allowed to investigate themselves.
The old ways
An independent body is needed to ensure that the police act and function within the ambit of the law.
The police might give all kinds of excuses but the fact remains that the police are responsible for remand prisoners who die while under their custody.
Ganapathy and Sivabalan are not going to be the last persons to die in custody. They were not the first nor are they going to be the last.
Invariably, those who have died in custody were members of the working class, regardless of their ethnic or religious origins.
However, the increasing deaths of Indians in custody, who are members of the working class, suggests that there is a growing perception that Indians have a natural affinity for crime.
The myth of Indian association with crime must be demolished. If not, the criminalisation of Indians might go unchecked with dangerous consequences.
The Malaysian police might be professionals in discharging their responsibilities.
But there are personnel in the police force accustomed to the old ways of eliciting information about crimes from those suspected of involvement.
Thus, eliciting information forcibly and roughly are the major cause of deaths in custody.
Moreover, the belief among police personnel that they are immune from prosecution and punishment dissuades some sections of the police force from acting in a responsible manner.
P RAMASAMY is Penang deputy chief minister (II).
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
