A human rights based political party wants the home minister to provide reasons for the use of excessive force on a peaceful assembly held over the weekend , in which one woman's right foot was seriously injured.

The Human Rights Party pro-tem secretary general, P Uthayakumar, in a letter addressed to Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, said not only did they use excessive force, they also did not allow enough time for the participants to disperse.

In addition, the police arrested 16 supporters of the Hindraf/Makkal Sakthi movement.

NONE "We were given two minutes to disperse but police started arresting us in ten seconds."

He alleged in the letter that his family members were targeted and arrested. His wife S Indradevi, sister P Waytha Nayagi and sister-in-law, K Nageswary were manhandled by male cops resulting in his wife sustaining a middle toe fracture on her left foot.

Uthayakumar himself was roughed up, leaving him with light injuries and torn jeans.

He was also outraged that a police officer on the sixth floor of the Tun HS Lee police station was parading in a towel while on duty as statements from those arrested were being taken down.

"This was adding insult to injury," he added.

Handphone stolen

Uthayakumar ( right ) claimed that the investigating office told him that his immediate superior had ordered him to release the detainees only at 6am although police had finished their job an hour earlier.

He also took the police to task for failing to arrest the cow - head protesters while calling for the resignation of Attorney General, Abdul Gani Patail for failing to prosecute them.

He then raised the case of an individual, believed to be a policeman, stealing a hand phone from one of those arrested.

The victim S Uthayakumar, a Hindraf supporter, was amongst those detained for illegal assembly.

In the 6.50am incident the same policeman allegedly used the hand phone to call his sister from whom he demanded RM500 to purchase her brother's freedom.

However, only RM350 was banked in.

"We have lodged a police report but the police failed to investigate the case, or cordon off the police station to capture the criminal".