Police call up woman in probe despite no involvement in rally, PSM says

Police have called up the wife of a PSM member to give her statement despite being uninvolved in the party’s peaceful assembly.

According to PSM deputy chairperson S Arutchelvan, Rajeswary Seniar and her husband Vijayagandi Ramasamy presented themselves to the Putrajaya district police headquarters this afternoon.

PSM lawyer Shashi Devan added that Vijayagandi’s phone was confiscated.

In an earlier statement, Arutchelvan said: “This action with many more in recent weeks seems to indicate that the police and the Madani government are taking us (the country) to a more repressive state.

“So much public funds and resources are wasted on such petty things.

“Of course, it is shocking that all this is taking place under the leadership of the ‘reformasi’ Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.”

Intervention sought

On April 25, Arutchelvan and Vijayagandi accompanied around 100 cattle breeders from Gabungan Penternak Marhaen in handing over a memorandum to the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry.

Vijayagandi is the Gabungan Penternak Marhaen national coordinator and a member of PSM.

The 11-page document urged Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu to intervene in the Zero Cattle Programme allegedly run by Sime Darby Plantation, calling it a cruel act.

Central to their concerns were recent notices issued by the company banning livestock from grazing on Sime Darby-owned farms.

In his statement, Arutchelvan said Shashi had sent a letter to the police seeking clarification on why Rajeswary was requested to present herself at Putrajaya.

He said Shashi then received a letter dated Aug 9 that stated the married couple were being investigated under Section 9(5) Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, which requires a gathering organiser to give a 10-day prior notice to the police.

‘No traction’

Besides that, Arutchelvan said the police are also claiming that the investigation involves the Jaringan Penternak Marhaen page.

Rajeswary was not involved in running the Facebook page either, he added.

“This was quite baffling because there is hardly any traction in the Facebook (page) which only has 187 followers to date.

“Also we are quite sure that no (one from the) public would have lodged a report, perhaps maybe the police themselves would have lodged a report on the Facebook (page),” he said.

Shashi later said that the report was lodged by a police officer.

“These sort of practices of lodging reports and then calling for an investigation is a form of harassment,” he said.

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