Mum dismisses bullying claims in trooper son's training death
The mother of 22-year-old armed forces trooper K Indiran, today dismissed claims that her son’s death resulted from bullying during training.
S Usha, 52, was reported as saying that the post-mortem examination found no physical injuries on her son’s body, ruling out any suggestion that he had been beaten or otherwise harmed.
“I too thought it was a bullying case. But the post-mortem showed nothing of the sort. At first, I was indeed angry because the armed forces did not contact me or inform me early on.
“By the time I found out, his condition was already critical in the hospital, and a mother’s instinct at that moment runs to all manner of assumptions.
“I was getting information from viral posts here and there. Please do not sully the name of the armed forces because what is being said is simply not true. Indiran was not bullied, beaten, or harmed. My son’s body was intact, his physical condition was fine,” she was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.
Yesterday, Usha expressed doubt about the circumstances surrounding Indiran’s death, who was undergoing training at the First Regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps in Kuantan, Pahang.
She said that whilst she accepts the post-mortem findings, which found no signs of physical injury on her son’s body and led police to classify the case as a sudden death, she remains deeply troubled and is seeking answers as to what truly caused his passing.
Her unease stemmed from the fact that just one day before he was found unconscious, Indiran appeared perfectly healthy and in good spirits.
Indiran is the son of the late C Kayamboo, a Royal Malaysian Air Force pilot who was killed in a Beechcraft B200T aircraft crash at Butterworth Air Base, Penang, in 2016.
Family and legacy
The Berita Harian report today quoted Usha describing her son’s passing as deeply shocking and difficult to accept, as he had been an active and fit soldier who had shown no signs of health problems.
She said her son was tremendously enthusiastic about his military training, driven by a desire to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Usha also admitted she felt torn if any of her other children wished to join the security forces or uniformed services.
This is particularly because her third child, Sarvien, 17, is studying at the Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) of the Royal Malaysia Police in Kulim, Kedah.
“It is like 50-50 for me. Because twice now tragedy has struck in my life. The trauma is real. If he (Sarvien) wants to, I cannot say anything. Just like Indiran. I once told him not to join the military, but he wanted to.
“If you ask me what I want right now, I want my son back alive. But that cannot be, can it? What we can do now is let him go in peace,” she said.
Call for futher probe
Indiran will be accorded full military honours before being laid to rest beside his father’s grave at the Batu Lanchang Hindu Cemetery at about 3pm today.
Yesterday, Penang MIC chief J Dhinagaran called for a second post-mortem on Indiran.
In a statement, he said that whilst the initial post-mortem report found no external injuries, this should not be taken as conclusive evidence that no bullying had occurred, as the possibility of internal injuries could not be ruled out and warranted further investigation.
“I call for a second post-mortem to be conducted to ensure that the full truth is brought to light, and I hope that all relevant government parties will extend their fullest cooperation and act with complete transparency in the interest of justice for the family of the deceased,” he added.
