Cops in defiance of new assembly law, says Nurul
The violent police crackdown on students outside of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) last night, was the total defiance of the newly passed Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011, said PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar.
The police action taken against the UPSI sit-in was not in the spirit of the newly passed Peaceful Assembly Bill, says Nurul.
The violent police crackdown on students outside of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) last night, was the total defiance of the newly passed Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011, said PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar.
"The action was not democratic and contained elements of a police state, and directly tarnished the start of 2012 new year. 
"It clearly demonstrated to all Malaysians that the Umno-BN government had used the police to curb the rights and freedom of expression which is enshrined in the Federal Constitution," said the Lembah Pantai MP in a statement today.
PKR communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the police action was in drastic contrast to their respectful actions during an earlier student march to Putra World Trade Center, the headquarters of Umno.
"PKR hopes for an immediate answer from the Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein Onn and the Inspector-General of Police (Ismail Omar). This violence makes a mockery of the Prime Minister’s Malaysia Day speech and so-called Transformation Agenda," he said in a statement today.
Two injured
During the march for academic freedom on Dec 17, some 500 students and activists were accompanied by a team of police officers, who helped to ensure smooth traffic flow as the procession went through part of the city.
However the same group of students encountered a completely opposite scenario last night when some 30 FRU personnel allegedly used excessive force to disperse the sit-in outside of UPSI, injuring at least two students.
One of them - Muhammad Safwan Anang, president of Gerakan Menuntut Kebebasan Akademik (Bebas), one of the organiser of the peaceful rally demanding for greater freedom for university students - suffered severe injury and rushed to Tanjung Malim hospital before transferred to Slim River Hospital.
The rally also hoped to show solidarity to a UPSI student Adam Adli Abdul Halim who faces disciplinary action from the university authorities for lowering a flag of Umno president Najib Abdul Razak at the party headquarters during the march on Dec 17.
Double standards
PAS publicity chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man suspected that the crackdown was to defuse the anger of Umno and BN over the police's failure to stop the earlier march which resulted in Najib's flag being taken down.
He also claimed that the police had practiced double-standards because another assembly on Dec 12 organised by pro-establishment Aspirasi student group at Putrajaya to demand for the resignation of Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah did not meet with any police interference.
Tuan Ibrahim believed that the incident will further ignite the people's anger against Umno and BN in the next general election.
On the other hand, Saifuddin, who is seen supportive of the academic freedom movement, said he is still waiting for statement from the police.
"I view the Tanjung Malim incident last night seriously, which according to report, there were students injured. I pray that the students will recover soon. I'm waiting for statements from the police and others," he responded on Twitter.
