The police today gave their assurance that they will investigate a police report lodged against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and three top officers over their alleged failure to maintain peace and order in Petaling Jaya Selatan during violent clashes there last month.

Police force public relations head Supt Benjamin Hasbee told malaysiakini that the police will accord the same treatment to the report, lodged by the yet-to-be-registered Parti Reformasi Insan Malaysia (Prim), as they did to all other police reports.

"We will look into the report to see if any criminal offences have been committed by those named and will follow it up from there," he said.

Hasbee said that it was the requirement of the law that all police reports be investigated.

The report, lodged last Saturday at the Brickfields police station in Kuala Lumpur by Prim pro-tem secretary general P Uthayakumar, alleged that the IGP Norian Mai, his deputy Mohd Jamil Johari, Selangor police chief Nik Ismail Nik Yusuf and Petaling Jaya district police head Sheikh Mustapha Sheikh Ahmad had failed to prevent the racial clashes which begun on March 9 and lasted several days.

In his report, Uthayakumar said these top officers should be censured for not taking proper, lawful action to prevent the clashes which left six dead and more than 50 injured.

He alleged the police did not act in a professional manner and 'were not independent' during the clashes.

Selected squad

Uthayakumar urged the police to investigate allegations that the police forces stationed at the scene of the clashes failed to provide protection to Indian families there.

He also asked the police to investigate if the clashes were the result of provocation by armed outside groups.

Prim had submitted a memorandum to the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) late last month on the lack of police protection for Indians in areas affected by the racial clashes.

Uthayakumar said the purpose of the memorandum was to highlight the 'unknown reasons' for the clashes.

"A carefully planned, orchestrated and executed operation by a selected squad propelled by some political force seems to be the real culprit for the clashes and this has to be investigated by Suhakam," said the memorandum.