The Dang Wangi district police station will refer a report lodged against Cheras police chief Mohd Nor Masdar to their counterparts in Cheras for investigation.

The report, lodged today by a group that took part in last Sunday's anti-war protest in Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, alleged excess use of force by riot police in carrying out crowd dispersal measures under Mohd Nor's command.

It is learnt that other police reports lodged today by other protestors in Sungai Nibong (Penang) and Sri Kembangan (Selangor) have also been referred to the Cheras police.

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) pro-tem secretary-general S Arutchelvan led 12 representatives of nine organisations to lodge the report at the Dang Wangi station at 10.30am. A three-page document detailing the incident was also submitted.

When police officers told him that the case would be investigated by the Cheras police, Arutchelvan attempted to explain that the protestors had assembled in an area that is within the Dang Wangi district.

"We were sprayed with chemical-laced water and teargas while we were there," he told the officer.

However, the officer said the matter was for the Cheras police to investigate since the Federal Reserve Police Unit trucks were stationed on the opposite side of Jalan Tun Razak, which is under their jurisdiction.

Mohd Nor had ordered the crowd to disperse after 30 minutes, although Arutchelvan had earlier negotiated with a Dang Wangi officer for a longer duration. Seconds after three warnings were sounded, the police began spraying the crowd with water and teargas.

Arutchelvan told Dang Wangi police chief Kamal Pasha that the group would not co-operate with investigations unless these are carried out by Dang Wangi police, Kuala Lumpur police contingent or the federal police unit in Bukit Aman.

He said Kamal's response during the three-minute meeting was that the police would look into the matter of jurisdiction.

Kamal declined comment when approached by malaysiakini.

Other reports lodged

PSM's V Selvam condemned the police for passing the buck.

"We object to this. We have asked for the case to be investigated by a party not responsible for the violence, but did not get this," he said.

Speaking to reporters earlier, PSM pro-tem chairperson Mohamad Nasir Hashim called for training programmes to enhance communication skills and etiquette among senior police officers.

"All OCPDs (district chiefs) should go for classes on how to communicate with members of the public and how to listen to them," he said in relation to the alleged "high level of abuse".

Nasir said Mohd Nor had shouted at the organisers of the protest and refused to negotiate with them over the time allocated for the protest.

"We weren't being disruptive. We stood on the side of the road. The traffic flow was interrupted not by us but by the police strike force lined up in front of us. So what was the problem with the protest?" he asked.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat deputy youth chief Faisal Sanusi said the use of force was unwarranted.

"Time and again the police have acted unprofessionally during peaceful protests. This time, women and children were also subjected to police brutality," he said.

The protest was held in more than 200 countries last weekend, on the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by the US and its allies on March 19.

There have only been reported cases of police high-handedness in two countries during the global protest - here in Malaysia and in the US where 27 protestors were arrested in New York and two in Chicago.