Aye to 'second postmortem', with conditions
The police have conditionally agreed to authorise a second postmortem on M Krishnan who died in while in remand last week at the Bukit Jalil police station.
In a statement, Bukit Aman legal division chief assistant director Razali Basri said for any case of death in police custody, a court order must first be obtained for a post-mortem to be conducted on the deceased and any cost involved must be borne by the family.
The police have conditionally agreed to authorise a second postmortem on M Krishnan who died in while in remand last week at the Bukit Jalil police station.
In a statement, Bukit Aman legal division chief assistant director Razali Basri said for any case of death in police custody, a court order must first be obtained for a post-mortem to be conducted on the deceased and any cost involved must be borne by the family.
Earlier today, some 50 people including Krishnan's family and friends demonstrated outside police headquarters in Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur, insisting that a second postmortem be performed.
They were led by parliamentarians S Manikavasagam and R Sivarasa (left), as well as human rights lawyer N Surendran and a representative of Lawyers for Liberty, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri.
Using the precedent set in a similar death in custody case, the lawyers said all the police had to do was to send the instructions for the second postmortem to the hospital.
Fadiah, referring to the case of A Kugan, 23, a suspected car thief, who died in police custody on Jan 16, 2009, said that the police had just given their green light through a letter.
A policeman was later charged with causing grievous hurt to Kugan at the interrogation room at the Taipan police station in USJ, Subang Jaya.
Krishnan, 37, who was an electrician, was arrested on Jan 3 for alleged drug- related offences and was remanded for four days.
On Jan 6, he was admitted to hospital, complaining of stomach ache. The next day, he was pronounced dead.
Krishnan's wife, P Revathi and the rest of the family, have claimed that he was tortured to death after seeing bruises and cuts on the body.
The hospital, however, attributed the cause of death to stomach ulcers.
Revathi had also lodged a report at the Sentul district police headquarters last week, demanding a second post-mortem be conducted.
The memorandum also urged the police to set up an independent investigation into Krishnan’s death, the prosecution of all involved and comprehensive reform of the police force, amongst others.
Revathi told reporters that police did not inform her of his death, but another prisoner, only known as Sargunan, who was with Krishnan in the lockup at that time, told her about it and she had rushed to the mortuary at Hospital University Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) in Cheras.
“By the time we got there the postmortem was done. How can they do it when as his spouse I haven’t given permission?” she asked.
She added that Sargunan, who was released last week, also alleged that he saw Krishnan being assaulted by the police.
‘My children keep asking for their father’
Anguished, Revathi said that Krishnan was the sole breadwinner for her family and her six children - aged eight to 17 - are inconsolable.
“My younger children don’t understand what has happened and they keep asking for their father,” she said, crying.
Krishnan’s mother A Lakshmie, 55, unable to hold back tears, lashed out at the police for “trying to cover up” the death of her son.
“We are his family they should have told us immediately after his death. We found out from a third person.
“He was always healthy. He never had complained of any sickness before. You mean he complained of ulcer one day and died the next. There were bruises all over his back, an open cut wound on his right abdomen, and a bruise on his right eye,” stressed Lakshmie. 
“You suspect and you arrest but why did you have to kill him?” she asked.
A representative of the police had first showed up to accept the memorandum. However, Surendran (left), the lawyer representing the family, insisted that they give immediate approval for a second postmortem before receiving the memorandum.
Being unable to make the decision, the representative requested for time and 40 minutes later called in the MPs, lawyers and the members of the family for a meeting.
About 40 minutes later, Razali told the family that they are not able to issue the order “at such short notice”.
“I will discuss with the IGP (inspector-general of police) and I will get back to you (Revathi) as soon as possible,” said Razali.
Cheras district police chief ACP Mohan Singh had earlier said only his superiors can decide if there is a need for a second postmortem.
‘Disappointed’
Surendran said that the decision comes as a “disappointment” as the family is unable to proceed with the ceremonial funeral. 
“The second postmortem should not be an issue. They should facilitate the postmortem and get things done sooner for some closure.
“They (the family) can’t get anything done now... still have to wait to perform their last rites,” he said.
Kapar PKR MP Manikasagam (right), clearly frustrated over the delay, said that such abuses have been going on for far too long.
“Ever since Kugan died two years ago, the deaths in custody have been increasing rapidly,” he said.
“Last week there was K Sivam, 43, who also died at the Sentul police lock-up. It seems that deaths in police custody are happening every week, every month,” he said.
