HomeCommitteesHuman Rights Death in custody – R Gunasegaran (Sentul District Police Headquarters, 16 Jul 2009)
Death in custody – R Gunasegaran (Sentul District Police Headquarters, 16 Jul 2009)
Tuesday, 19 July 2011 09:57am
Two years ago on 16 Jul 2009, R Gunasegaran died on the way to Kuala Lumpur Hospital after having been detained at the Sentul District Police Headquarters on the same day.
The police claimed that the then-31-year old toddy shop assistant collapsed due to drug abuse while the police was taking his thumbprint at the Sentul District Police Headquarters. However, R Gunasegaran’s sister, R Ganga Gowri, claimed her brother had been assaulted by the police.
An inquest into R Gunasegaran’s death began on 11 Nov 2009 and concluded on 25 Oct 2010, with Coroner Siti Shakirah Mohtarudin giving an open verdict stating that the cause of R Gunasegaran’s death while in police custody could not be proven conclusively.
After the first autopsy, the doctor verified that R Gunasegaran’s death had been due to drug abuse. However, another suspect who had been arrested with R Gunasegaran claimed that he had seen a policeman assault R Gunasegaran until the latter was unconscious. The second autopsy also reportedly revealed a scar measuring 28 cm (length) by 8 cm (width) by 5 cm (depth) on R Gunasegaran’s chest.
After the open verdict was delivered, R Gunasegaran’s family announced they would file for a judicial review of the decision in the High Court.
Every death in custody must be thoroughly and impartially investigated. R Gunasegaran’s death must not be relegated to a mere statistic.
Based on the Royal Malaysia Police’s statistics, 85 persons died in police custody between 2003 and 2007 alone.
We express our heartfelt condolences to R Gunasegaran’s family and friends on the anniversary of his death.
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