The party’s vice-president C Sivarraajh said A Ganapathy’s mother claimed that her son was beaten by police while in detention. He had been arrested to assist in investigations into his sibling’s alleged crimes.

“Other than probing the death, the home ministry needs to ensure that Ganapathy’s family is not exposed to any threats,” he said in a statement.

The former Cameron Highlands MP added that there had been too many such cases, which highlights the importance of an IPCMC.

“It is one way for the victim to get justice, and to improve the image of the police,” he added.

The 40-year-old victim was said to have spent 12 days in police custody from Feb 24 to March 8 before being admitted to hospital.

He succumbed to his injuries last week after spending over a month at the Selayang Hospital’s intensive care unit.

The family claimed that Ganapathy’s health deteriorated while in police custody and that his leg was swollen and bruised, which suggested that he had been beaten.

Rights groups have called for a stop to police brutality in custody, with a review of the culture of violence and abuse tactics to force suspects to confess.