Lawyer: Informant Says Ganapathy Was Assaulted & Lost A Tooth During An Earlier Detention
Lawyer K Ganesh said he learnt that A Ganapathy was detained at the Shah Alam district police headquarters about a month before his arrest by Gombak police.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 01 Jun 2021, 05:08 PM
A "credible" informant has allegedly told custodial death victim A Ganapathy's lawyer that his client had also been assaulted while being detained at the Shah Alam district police headquarters
Speaking during an online press conference yesterday, 31 May, lawyer K Ganesh said he received evidence that Ganapathy was remanded in Shah Alam about a month before his arrest by Gombak police on 24 February, reported Free Malaysia Today.
"I was told that Ganapathy was assaulted in Shah Alam where he even lost his front teeth, so I would like also have a look at the CCTV (closed-circuit television) footage there before and after Ganapathy left the police station," The Malaysian Insight quoted Ganesh as saying.
He demanded the police to confirm or refute the information.
Prior to the revelation, Ganesh also said that he has a witness who allegedly saw Ganapathy's condition worsen after exiting from an interrogation room
According to Malaysiakini, the lawyer demanded the CCTV footage be provided so that he can determine the differences in Ganapathy's condition before and after each interrogation.
"(The record will show) whether the police followed procedure and whether (Ganapathy) became worse each time he was taken out," Ganesh said.
"It will (answer questions on) whether he had asked to be brought to the hospital but (the police) did not."
"If the police want to come clean, release the footage, and I know you have it. The footage will clearly show the pain (Ganapathy) was in and the condition of his leg, which was not attended to."
The lawyer also said that he has information about the existence of a functioning CCTV in the cell at the Gombak district police headquarters, reported The Malaysian Insight.
The 40-year-old custodial death victim was arrested on 24 February and spent 12 days in police custody at the Gombak district police headquarters
He was arrested to help police investigate his brother's alleged crimes.
After his release, he was sent to Selayang Hospital for treatment, where doctors said his leg had to be amputated to save his life.
Police said the post-mortem by Hospital Kuala Lumpur confirmed that Ganapathy died of necrotising fasciitis in the right lower limb, complicated by sepsis, reported Free Malaysia Today.
Necrotising fasciitis is a flesh-eating disease. At that time, Ganapathy was also a diabetic patient, but his mother claimed that he was healthy before the 12-day detention.
On 30 April, Gombak district police chief Arifai Tarawe denied that police had assaulted the deceased.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Ganesh reiterated that his client was allegedly beaten by the police with three rubber hoses joined into one.
