MBPJ Officer Attacks & Uses Catch Pole On Uncle's Neck As He Protects A Pack Of Dogs
The uncle suffered bruises and cuts on his neck and wrist.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 24 Mar 2023, 02:38 PM
On Wednesday, 22 March, Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) officers were seen on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage assaulting an uncle while he was protecting a pack of dogs
The incident was highlighted by a witness in a Facebook post published yesterday, 23 March.
She said the incident took place on Jalan 18/17, Taman Kanagapuram, Petaling Jaya, and she attached five videos in the post, two of which are of CCTV footage.
In a one-minute clip, the uncle can be seen quickly ushering some dogs into a compound while a few MBPJ officers pursue the canines with catch poles.
After the dogs have rushed into the compound, an MBPJ officer is seen using a catch pole on the uncle's neck. His head is tugged by the catch pole while he holds onto a door handle as support.
In a separate CCTV footage, an officer is seen trying to force open the door while the uncle is trying to close it. The uncle then grabs onto the officer's catch pole, seemingly trying to stop the officer from capturing the dogs in the compound.
The witness, who is also a local resident, uploaded a photo showing an MBPJ truck at the scene.
The uncle told the witness that he was also punched in the neck and suffered cuts on his wrist during the altercation
She said there were about six to seven MBPJ officers at the scene, of which one assaulted the old man.
The uncle claimed the officers did not explain their intentions and failed to show any report or official identification. However, he claimed the officer was quick to attack him.
"The officer was threatening [him] and used an iron rod to hit the old man when he tried to block them from capturing and injuring his dogs," she recounted.
"I stepped out of my car to stop them from harassing him further and told them this [was] not the right way to carry out their duty.
"[And] the officers responded, 'Kita government , memang begini kita buat kerja' (We are the government. This is how we work) [and] 'Report to police la', implying that acting like barbarians and manhandling the helpless general public is a norm while carrying out their duty," she continued.
She said she was an eyewitness to the brutality, adding that no other MBPJ officers stepped in to stop their colleague's aggression towards the uncle, who was alone during the assault.
The uncle telling the witness about the injuries he sustained from the incident.
Image via Rekha Morgan (Facebook)According to the witness, after a five-minute discussion, the uncle agreed to hand over three of his dogs, one of which is a puppy
"Just to add on, I have been seeing this uncle and these dogs for years," she said.
"He brings all his dogs out for a walk twice a day and takes good care of them by feeding and providing them shelter at his own expense. These dogs are harmless and even if there is a mistake committed by him, physically or verbally abusing anyone in the name of power is a hard no.
"This is a classic example of power abuse in the name of duty, hooligans in the name of kakitangan kerajaan (government servants). Please help me to share it and I don't want this matter to be swept under the carpet," she concluded the post.
It is understood that the witness and the uncle are currently at the Petaling Jaya District Police Headquarters to lodge a report over the matter.
SAYS has reached out to MBPJ and is waiting for a comment.
Meanwhile, Lawyers For Animal Rights founder Rajesh Nagarajan said that based on the video evidence, the officer had committed battery against the uncle
"The police should investigate [the case] under Section 324 of the Penal Code and charge the MBPJ officers who committed the assault," he said when contacted.
As for the uncle, Rajesh is of the opinion that he did not commit any offence as "feeding and caring for stray dogs is merely being humane and is not against the law".
He added, "MBPJ officers who catch dogs must do so while observing strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) set forth by the Department of Veterinary Services. If MBPJ officers had acted cruelly towards the dogs, then the MBPJ officers should be prosecuted under Section 29 of the Animal Welfare Act for cruelty to animals."
