After three sessions of questioning witnesses, the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) this afternoon took its public inquiry into the Bersih 2.0 rally outdoors - to the site of PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu’s accident.

At the spot, ACP Jamaluddin Rahman who is the police representative at the inquiry, attempted to refute Mohamad’s claim that a police patrol car had rammed into him by demonstrating how the latter, who was being ferried by Mohd Zulkifli Abdul Halim, had fallen on his own account.

NONE Pointing out still-visible tyre marks along the side pavement of Persiaran Persekutuan, off Jalan Travers, Jamaluddin said Zulkifli had lost control and the motorcycle’s tyre had hit the pavement, causing him and Mat Sabu, as Mohamad is popular known, to fall.

Also present were the driver of the Waja police patrol car, L/Cpl Muhamad Fauzi Mustafa, who was alleged to have rammed Sabu, and case investigating officer ASP Che Aziz Md Isa, the two witnesses who testified in the morning.

The entire Suhakam panel, consisting of Suhakam deputy chief Khaw Lake Tee and commisioners Detta Samen and Mahmood Zuhdi Ab Majid, and a Bar Council observer team led by Syahrezan Johan were also at the scene.

Explaining what had transpired, Fauzi denied ramming into Mat Sabu, saying: “I had already stopped (my vehicle) when they made a U-turn and came back down.”

‘They sped off despite warnings’

During the inquiry earlier, Fauzi ( below in white ) explained that police in three vehicles, an unmarked Pajero, an unmarked Waja and a Waja police patrol car, pursued  four persons on two motorcycles, on one of which Mat Sabu was pillion rider.

NONE “I saw ASP Kamal Khan (Mohd Shariff), who was in the Pajero, making gestures at the motorcyclists to stop but they refused. He then called me to approach them because my vehicle was marked with the word ‘Polis’.

"When I approached them, sub-inspector Daeng (Jamal), who was seated beside, me flashed his authority card (from the window) and shouted ‘ Berhenti! Berhenti! Polis! ’ (Stop! Stop! Police!) a few times.

“They looked at us and then sped off,” said Fauzi.

He said the four later turned and went up a hill - Persiaran Persekutuan - after they encountered a police road block at the edge of Jalan Travers, at which point the Pajero drove ahead of the motorcycles to cut them off before a guardhouse.

At this point, he added, the motorcyclists made a U-turn to go back down the hill, but he drove his vehicle into the opposing lane to block the fleeing motorcycles.

‘Mat Sabu’s injury not from collision’

Contradicting Kamal’s statement made during his testimony at an earlier date, Fauzi denied that Mat Sabu had slammed his knee against his vehicle when he performed the manoeuvre.

NONE “The front tyre of Mat Sabu’s motorcycle had hit the pavement and the rider was losing control. They managed to stop but the right handle of the motorcycle hit my bonnet (right from opposing side) and both of them fell to the left onto the pavement... there was no body contact.”

Fauzi also denied that the police had shouted for Mat Sabu’s motorcycle to be rammed, adding that the second motorcyclist had also lost control when the one in front fell.

Kamal had admitted that Mat Sabu’s injury was from hitting the patrol car, but said the motorcycle was the one that had slammed into the patrol car, which was already stationary.

However, Fauzi said when the team of police officers went up to Mat Sabu, he had yelled: “My leg is broken”, but stressed the latter could still walk, though his movement was somewhat wobbly.

‘Only soft tissue injury’

Investigating officer Aziz ( below, second from left ), who later took the stand, said the doctor examining Mat Sabu at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital said he merely suffered “soft tissue injury.”

NONE The commissioners were also presented with an array of photographs supplied by the police, detailing the damage on the left side of Mat Sabu’s motorcycle and and right side of the patrol car.

However, when quizzed why the right side of the motorcycle, where Mat Sabu’s knee was alleged to have hit the patrol car, was not photographed, Aziz said: “My inspection showed no damage to that area, so I did not photograph it.”

A CCTV recording of the incident from the guardhouse was also screened but it did little to shed light on the incident, for the Pajero was blocking the view - and it instead created more confusion with the presence of a third motorcyclist.

Later, when questioned by the Malaysian Bar, Aziz insisted that his investigation was complete despite the mystery over the third motorcyclist.

“I did ask Kamal about the third motorcyclist but he said there were only two and did not give any other information, so I did not pursue it,” he said.

‘Witnesseses should be recalled’

In light of this, lawyer Syahrezan requested for Fauzi and Kamal to take the witness stand again to clear the air on the mystery motorcycle, to which Khaw replied: “We will consider that.”

At the scene later, Zulkifli ( in red ), who had turned up to explain the incident, said he, too, realised that there was a third motorcyclist in front of them on that day, but did not know who it was.

NONE “Maybe he was also trying to avoid the roadblock but we don’t know who it was.”

However, Zulkifli denied that he had lost control of his motorcycle and insisted that the police had shouted for them to be rammed.

“As far as I can remember, my motorcycle did not drag along the pavement.”

The inquiry, which is looking into alleged police abuses, during the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9, will continue tomorrow.

VIDEO | 3.54 mins