Lawyer urges inquest into UTM student's death, questions AG's silence

The lawyer representing the family of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) student Syamsul Haris Samsudin, who died during a Reserve Officers Training Unit (Rotu) exercise, is demanding an inquest into the circumstances of his death.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, Naran Singh urged Attorney-General (AG) Dusuki Mokhtar to take immediate steps to establish an inquest.

“Why is the AG silent on the student’s death in the wake of the mother’s allegations? The AG is the custodian of public interest,” he added.

Yesterday, Syamsul’s mother, Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun, requested that Naran (above) be included in the inter-ministry committee probing her son’s death.

Kota Tinggi police chief Yusof Othman previously stated that no criminal elements or external injuries were initially found on the 22-year-old’s body. However, laboratory results were still pending to determine the exact cause of death.

Ummu had lodged a police report claiming she observed severe bruising, bleeding from the nose and eyes, and wounds resembling gunshot injuries when she saw her son’s body in the hospital.

She suspected her son had been murdered and urged the authorities to launch a full investigation.

Syamsul died at the Army Training Centre (Pulada) Combat Inoculation Range in Ulu Tiram, Johor, on July 28.

Meanwhile, the army announced that it would review its Rotu training procedures to address any shortcomings and prevent similar incidents in the future.

Army chief Hafizuddeain Jantan said the army deeply regretted what had happened and is taking steps to investigate the cause of death.

“We will look into the training procedures to identify any weaknesses and areas for improvement in order to prevent a recurrence.

“The army takes the training of its personnel seriously, whether at the individual or collective level. All syllabi and standard operating procedures are developed to achieve the desired training objectives and end state.

“One of the main considerations in training is safety. It remains a top priority,” he told the New Straits Times.

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