UTM cadet death: Mum turns to court for 2nd post-mortem, inquest

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsudin’s mother turns to the court, requesting his body to be exhumed for a second post-mortem and an inquest into his death.

Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun filed her application at the Shah Alam High Court yesterday, via Messrs Naran Singh & Co, where she named Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail and Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar as respondents.

The mother claimed there are criminal elements behind her son’s death, such as injuries on the body, which contradicted the reasons given to explain the death.

“I believed my son’s death was caused by individuals in Rotu (Reserve Officer Training Unit) training in Pulada (Army Combat Training Centre) on July 28, and that the trainee who was with my son (at that time) could give evidence about what had happened.

“I believe that the injuries found on my son’s body were not ordinary but caused by a blunt object.”

She said that Rotu trainer “Ikhwan” told her Syamsul had a seizure during a shooting exercise, while Rotu officer “Major Azmi” said there was a fight during the exercise.

Major Azmi did not explain who was involved in the fight, she said.

“(But) the photos I took (of Syamsul’s body) clearly showed his nose bleeding continuously and profusely, and a bruised right eye.

“I believe this was not at all the effects of a seizure but rather (due to) injuries inflicted by certain individuals.”

Bruises and bleeding

Ummu, in recounting the events of her son’s death, said she was informed on July 26 of Syamsul’s participation in Rotu training the next day.

However, two days later, she said she received a call from one of UTM’s lecturers informing her that her son had passed away at the Kota Tinggi Hospital in Johor.

His cause of death could not be determined then due to pending laboratory investigations, she said.

“I went to the hospital the next day to see my son’s body. I was not allowed to see his whole (body) but half of it was covered with a cloth and guarded by officers there.

“I saw bruises and injuries on my son’s body, especially on his neck and chest, which were bleeding, and his face as well as his right eye were black due to bruises, which were clearly caused by a blow with a blunt object.”

She also said her son’s nose kept bleeding, even until his body was to be buried later the same day.

This bleeding, she added, clearly indicated that her son was beaten and suffered injuries to the brain and chest.

Before Syamsul’s body was brought back to Semenyih, Selangor, for burial, Ummu said she was informed that a post-mortem on the body could only be done by a UD10-grade medical officer, who was at the Pasir Gudang Hospital at that time.

“Following this, I requested that my son’s body be transferred to the Sultan Ismail Hospital (in Johor) so that the post-mortem could be done by a forensic expert and not a medical officer.

“But to my surprise, upon arriving at the Sultan Ismail Hospital, I saw the same medical officer from Kota Tinggi Hospital there to do the post-mortem.

“I was also informed that my son’s post-mortem report will only be available within three months from the post-mortem date, with no reasons given to justify the time period. Until now, I have yet to get any update on the results,” she said.

She said a certain “Dr George Sixtus Fernandez Jr” did the post-mortem on Syamsul’s body that day.

Seeking court order

Two days after burying her son, she filed a police report at the Kajang police station in Selangor, requesting a thorough investigation into her son’s death as she believed he died from unnatural causes.

On Aug 6, she submitted a formal application through her lawyer for her son’s body to be exhumed so that a second post-mortem can be done.

In her suit, she sought a court order to exhume her son’s body as soon as possible and for a second post-mortem to be conducted by a forensic expert, with senior forensic pathologist Dr Bhupinder Singh and her lawyer Naran Singh present.

“I am seeking the court to order the forensic expert, who conducted the post-mortem, to issue a report within one month (from the process) and a copy of the report be given to my lawyer.

“I also wanted the court to order a task force from Bukit Aman police station to take over my son’s death investigation, as was done in the case of Zara Qairina Mahathir’s death investigation.

“(This is because) the chief investigating officer in this case had issued a statement claiming no criminal elements were detected, and therefore, he is not suitable to continue with my son’s investigation.”

She also seeks other reliefs deemed fit by the court.

On Aug 13, Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said the police have recorded statements from 22 individuals to assist their investigation into Syamsul’s death, and that the police are still waiting for his full post-mortem report.

UTM student's death: Family requests second post-mortem

After Zara, mother willing to exhume UTM trainee son's body for answers

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

Mother of dead UTM trainee seeks more 'transparent' probe

Police confirm no criminal element in death of UTM cadet

Police launch probe into UTM trainee's death