A broken nose, 27 stitches and four days in hospital - for a factory worker, these are among ‘mementos’ of the Hindraf rally on Nov 25, during which he was allegedly hit by a tear gas canister fired at close range.

B Arumugam, 27, revealed this at a press conference organised today by PKR supreme council member S Manikavasagam to draw attention to injuries left on protesters by the police.

This comes in the wake of 31 Hindraf supporters being charged yesterday with attempted murder of a police personnel at Batu Caves in the early hours of Nov 25, in addition to other rally-related allegations.

Arumugam, from Nilai in Negri Sembilan, said he was with three friends in front of KLCC at 7.30am, to attend the rally which was scheduled to begin at 10am.

He did not know what to expect because it was the first time he was participating in such a gathering.

When a tear gas canister allegedly hit him on an eye, it left him momentarily blinded - it also broke the upper part of his nose.

"The police gave me RM50 to take a taxi to the hospital. I was bleeding and I couldn’t see what was happening," he said.

He was admitted to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital and made a police report three days later.

"An investigating officer named Inspector Rajendran met me at the hospital and took my statement. I was discharged on the fourth day," said the soft-spoken man.

"My wounds haven’t even healed yet. My eyes hurt and my teeth hurt. My eyesight is also blur."

Arumugam expressed concerns for his future as he is the sole breadwinner in his family, which includes his parents and his pregnant wife.

"I haven’t gone back at work yet. I don’t know how this is going to affect my job," he added.

‘Clear instructions’

Manikavasagam criticised Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail for practising double standards in charging the Hindraf protesters.

"If 31 people can be charged for attempted murder on one police officer, what about the FRU officers who fired tear gas canisters into the crowd?" he asked.

According to him, the instructions for use of tear gas canisters expressly state that these must be fired into the air and not directly at people.

"The instructions state that firing the tear gas canisters at people can cause serious injury or death. Isn’t this attempted murder by the police (when they) fire into the crowd?"

Manikavasagam added PKR would assist Arumugam in filing a suit against the police, and provide him with financial assistance for his medical and legal fees.

The rally , which attracted about 30,000 people, saw the repeated use of tear gas and water cannon by the Federal Reserve Unit to disperse the crowd over a six-hour period.