The act of pushing an ISA detainee off his chair and shoving him against a wall during police interrogation is an abuse of human rights, said the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) deputy chairperson today.

"Such treatment would be considered a clear violation of his human rights, but that also depends on whether he is telling the truth or not," said Harun Mahmud Hashim.

He added that he would have to consult the commissioners who had visited the detainee while in detention to ascertain the validity of the allegation.

The detainee, Keadilan Youth leader N Gobalakrishnan, had related the alleged mistreatment by police officers to the Suhakam commissioners who visited him at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters on May 24.

He also told them that he was denied the opportunity to lodge a police report on the matter.

No inquiry

However, after the visit, commissioner Anuar Zainal Abidin who led the delegation had said there would not be a separate inquiry into the claim.

"We can and have the power to initiate inquiries under Section 4(2)(d) of the Suhakam Act but apart from making statements, we cannot do anything. We are not here to prosecute," Anuar was quoted as saying.

On Wednesday, Gobalakrishnan told malaysiakini that he was shouted at, harassed and pushed against the wall by his interrogators.

"One day they sent a huge Indian policeman who was very intimidating. He pushed me off my chair and held me against the wall and said, 'I have interrogated the Tamil Tigers, and you are nobody'," he said.

Gobalakrishnan was among 10 Keadilan leaders and reformasi activists detained under the ISA in a police crackdown in April for allegedly planning to overthrow the government through "militant means" including violent street demonstrations.

He and party youth leader Abdul Ghani Haroon were ordered to be released by the Shah Alam High Court after spending 51 days in detention, while another two were released unconditionally by the police.

The others have been sent to the Kamunting detention camp in Perak where they would held for two years.

Communal clashes

Meanwhile, Parti Reformasi Insan Malaysia (Prim)'s police watch and human rights committee handed a memorandum to Suhakam at its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today complaining about the delay in initiating an inquiry into the racial clashes in Petaling Jaya Selatan.

"100 days have since passed and we would like to record our disappointment, regret and dissatisfaction because Suhakam is yet to initiate an inquiry even though the incident constitutes the greatest case of human rights violation in the history of our nation," said its secretary-general P Uthayakumar.

However, commissioner Harun said that Suhakam is still waiting for reports from the police and non-governmental organisations on the matter.

The clashes, which began on March 8, lasted for about a week and resulted in six deaths and scores of others injured.

Uthayakumar also questioned the police's professionalism in handling the matter. "If the police could not even contain the 10km area, how could they protect a nation of 22 million?" he asked

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia lecturer P Ramasamy, who was also present, urged Suhakam to initiate an inquiry without delay.