Police detained Batu PKR vice-chief Rozan Azen Mat Rasip overnight at a lock-up in Sentul and released him on police bail this afternoon. They also denied his claim that he was roughed up.
In recalling his experience, Rozan said he was forced to lie face down on the ground and was handcuffed before the police broke a party flagpole.
He said he had gone to the neighbourhood with a loudhailer to inform voters to check their details on the Election Commission’s website, after claims by some of them that they were registered with the wrong addresses.
“Police then came and said I was campaigning, telling me that it was wrong to carry the PKR flag. I told them I was making a public service announcement, not campaigning.
“When they threatened arrest, I asked them for details of the offence that I had allegedly committed. They had no answer.
“When I asked if I should record them on my phone, they said go ahead. When I did, they snatched my phone away,” he told FMT.
Rozan then alleged the two policemen were rough with him, pushing him face down and handcuffing him with his hands behind his back. He said the policemen proceeded to break the flagpole he was holding.
“I kept asking why I was being arrested, but they did not answer. My rights were not read to me,” he said.
Rozan, who was a former special officer to a deputy minister in the Pakatan Harapan government, said there were abrasions on his wrist, sustained from the rough handling by the police.
His lawyer, Gurmukh Singh, said the police statement that his client had obstructed police was surprising as it was never revealed to him at the time of the arrest.
“Police have to be very clear. You have to inform the person why you are arresting him. It is not up to them to decide later,” he said.
Flagpole broke during arrest, says district police chief
In an immediate response, Sentul police chief Beh Eng Lai denied Rozan’s claims, saying all procedures were followed.
“We didn’t break the flagpole. He struggled to resist arrest and the pole broke,” he said.
When asked about Rozan’s claim that the reason for his arrest was not relayed to him, Beh said: “That is his version. But we did.”
In a statement earlier, Beh said police had ordered Rozan to leave, but he instead “provoked and questioned the powers of the police”.
“After reading out the rights of the police to arrest and inspect a person, the man refused to budge. He was then arrested,” he said.
Rozan is being investigated for obstructing a public servant and being a danger or obstructing a public way, under Sections 186 and 283 of the Penal Code.
Anyone found guilty of obstructing a public servant can be fined up to RM10,000 and jailed up to two years. Obstruction of a public way carries a fine of up to RM400.