Lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan told FMT that he needed the names of the officers to file a lawsuit over the assault of his clients, A Kogilan and M Tineskumar.

The originating summons, filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court last Friday, had named the Sungai Buloh prison director, the prisons department director-general, and the home minister as defendants.

The court registrar fixed March 19 for case management.

In early February, Kogilan, Tineskumar and 30 other detainees at Sungai Buloh prison staged a hunger strike in protest against their detention, allegedly leading to the assault by prison officers in an attempt to end the strike.

The family members of several inmates staged a similar hunger strike outside the prison in a show of solidarity and to protest the rejection of their visitation applications.

On Feb 20, the High Court in Klang ordered immediate hospital treatment for the detainees who were allegedly assaulted.

Lawyer T Harpal Singh, representing 15 of the 32 detainees, said the court had recorded the testimonies of the prisoners and ordered immediate medical treatment for them.

Harpal said the court also advised the inmates to file police reports to pave the way for a formal investigation.

On Feb 25, FMT reported that Rajesh and another lawyer representing the detainees, MV Yoges, had urged the prisons department to allow their clients to lodge reports at police stations over the claims of abuse suffered while in custody.

They also sought permission to be present when their clients lodged the reports.

Rajesh was reported to have claimed that, following the court proceedings, the detainees were forced to record their statements within the confines of the prison and under the scrutiny of prison officers.

He said while his clients had lodged the police report, they were surrounded by wardens and did not feel free to speak openly.