Prison Dept confirms altercation at Taiping Prison, claims 'provocation'
In a statement, the department revealed that the person had been transferred from the Batu Gajah Correctional Centre to the prison...
Summary
The Prison Department has confirmed that a provocation incident involving an individual had occurred at the Taiping Prison in Perak.
The department says a police report has been lodged, and an investigation is underway but did not explain the nature of the provocation.
Lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind claims the incident involved more than 100 inmates, with prison officials using tear gas and beating prisoners, with one detainee allegedly succumbing to injuries.
The Prison Department has confirmed an incident of provocation involving an individual at Taiping Prison in Perak.
In a statement, the department revealed that the person had been transferred from the Batu Gajah Correctional Centre to the prison.
“A police report has been lodged regarding the provocation, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident,” the statement read.
It is understood that the report was filed on Jan 17.
However, the department did not provide further details about the nature of the provocation.
This follows a viral message circulated last week by the Edisi Siasat account on Telegram, which alleged a prisoner died after an altercation at Taiping Prison between Jan 16 and Jan 17.
Addressing the matter further, the department assured that it would not compromise and would take action against those responsible if negligence or procedural weaknesses were found during the execution of duties.
“We seek cooperation from the public to refrain from spreading unverified news regarding the incident,” it added.
‘Over 100 involved, 1 dead’
Earlier today, lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind claimed that an incident involving over 100 inmates occurred at Taiping Prison on Jan 17, during which one inmate allegedly succumbed to injuries.
In a Facebook post, Shamsher, a member of the Urimai legal team, alleged that inmates were tear-gassed and beaten by prison officers, with details of the incident being concealed from their families.
Shamsher, accompanied by three members of Urimai - P Ramasamy, David Marshel, and Satees Muniandy - held a press conference in front of the prison this morning.
“When they (the family) came to the prison to visit them (inmates) after the incident, no meeting was allowed on the basis that the inmates needed to be quarantined for some unknown reason.
“So the family contacted Urimai for help,” he added.
Shamsher also shared three photos in his Facebook post, including one showing a banner that read, “Justice for Gan Chin Eng – RIP – We lost our father,” featuring an image of a man in a red shirt.
