The family of an alleged smuggler, who died after a run-in with officers from the police’s Anti-Smuggling Unit (UPP) in Kelantan, today presented a memorandum to the government, demanding that legal action be taken against the officers allegedly responsible for his death.

The family of Said Mat Hassan maintained their position that he was brutalised and killed by UPP officers in Tumpat on Feb 16, refuting the police version of events claiming that he had died of a heart attack.

They demanded that the police at the same time take responsibility for the action of one officer who had allegedly shot Said’s nephew, Ahmad Nizamuddin Mohamad, at the Tumpat Hospital where Said’s body was brought later on the same day.

The family also called on the government to pressure the Tumpat police station personnel to stop “covering up the truth” behind the incident.

The memorandum was presented to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz by Said’s son, Nik Shamsuddin, and the deceased’s nephews Sabramu Khairy and Ahmad Nizamuddin.

The group was accompanied by PAS’ Tumpat MP Kamaruddin Jaafar and several other Pakatan MPs to meet with Nazri at his office in Parliament.

Said’s family and the police have given conflicting accounts on the incident, with a Bernama report quoting Kelantan police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi as saying that a post-mortem confirmed that the deceased had died of a heart attack .

The family however claimed that Ahmad Nizamuddin was an eyewitness when UPP officers had dragged Said out of his car and assaulted the deceased on the morning of Feb 16, the last time the former saw his uncle alive.

The family claimed further that the police had shot at and injured Ahmad Nizamuddin at the Tumpat Hospital before detaining him for several days on suspicion of inciting a riot.