Eliminating Deaths & Abuse In Custody Together (EDICT) questioned why police did not bring Muhammad Afis Ahmad to hospital for treatment when he was injured in a scuffle with them. Instead, he was thrown into a lock-up for the night.
Citing Lock-Up Rules 1953 and Article 15 of the PDRM Lock-up Management SOP, it said officers in charge of detainees should not delay in reporting any detainees’ injuries to a medical officer for treatment.
EDICT’s claim comes after Kedah police chief Hasanuddin Hassan said yesterday that the detainee had struggled with cops prior to his arrest, causing him to suffer injuries to his face, ear and forehead.
Hasanuddin said Afis was then taken to his house in Kampung Kilang Papan, Gurun for further investigation and an inspection there, which was witnessed by his family members, before being put in lock-up.
EDICT said it was “shocked” Hasanuddin did not know that standing orders make it mandatory for detainees who are sick or require medical attention to be sent to hospital.
“We are also dumbfounded by the Kedah police chief relating the deceased’s past with the recent arrest. What does his past have to do with his arrest and death?
“Should someone with a criminal record who has already served his sentence be treated cruelly and inhumanely?” it asked in a statement.
It said Hasanuddin should have been more prudent in his response on the matter, adding that a state police chief should be aware of the procedures mandated by the law that the cops are bound by in treating injured detainees.
The NGO also urged the Kedah police to produce the CCTV recordings of the lock-up to prove that Afis was not beaten during his detention, adding that this was key to clearing the air and upholding the image of the cops.
Afis, 31, was declared dead by police on Jan 28 with a post-mortem finding that he died due to blunt force trauma to the head. He had two children, aged 12 and 9, with his wife, who had separated from him.
A former police volunteer reservist, Afis was arrested on Jan 27 at a friend’s house in Jeniang for allegedly impersonating a policeman.
According to his father Ahmad Daud, 64, Afis was brought to the family home as the police searched the house, adding that his son was seen bleeding from the back of his head and ear.
The next day, Ahmad received a phone call from Afis’ mobile phone from an “Inspector Amri” at the Yan district police headquarters, informing him that his son had died. He did not give further details.