HomeCommitteesHuman Rights Death in police custody – A Kugan (Taipan, USJ police station lock-up, 20 Jan 2009)
Death in police custody – A Kugan (Taipan, USJ police station lock-up, 20 Jan 2009)
Friday, 28 January 2011 09:57am
Two years ago on 20 Jan 2009, 22-year-old A Kugan reportedly died in the Taipan, USJ police station lock-up five days after he had been arrested.
The death occurred in highly suspicious circumstances that raise very alarming questions about the treatment of detainees in police custody and the methods of interrogation used. Photographs and video footage of the deceased individual that were available in the public domain revealed what appeared to be shockingly severe, inexplicable injuries on his body, which appear to be consistent with physical restraint and torture.
Despite the requirement that all custodial deaths be investigated by inquiries conducted pursuant to Chapter XXXII of the Criminal Procedure Code, it does not appear that an inquest has been conducted into A Kugan’s death. On 28 Jan 2011, the Sessions Court found police constable V Navindran not guilty of causing injuries to A Kugan during the latter’s detention.
Every death in custody must be thoroughly and impartially investigated. A Kugan’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 A Kugan’s family and friends on this anniversary of his death.
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