KUGAN FUNERAL

KUALA LUMPUR, WED:

Six men, one of them a wanted criminal, were arrested at the funeral today of a man who died in police custody, at the main entrance of the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) in Petaling Jaya.

Brickfields police chief ACP Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Talib said the 55-year-old criminal is suspected to have been involved in a murder case.

They were arrested between 12.15pm and 1.35pm for defying a police order to disperse from the UMMC from where the hearse carrying the body of A. Kugan, a suspect who had died in police custody left for a cemetery in Puchong, he said.

The five other men, aged between 39 and 52 years, were brought to the Brickfields police station to have their statements recorded and would be released on police bond soon, he added.

It is believed that one of the men is a coordinator with the outlawed Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).
“All of them were detained under Section 186 of the Penal Code and the Societies Act for wearing the Hindraf T-shirt,” he said.

Kugan, 22, who was detained on Jan 15 at the Taipan police station on suspicion of being involved in the theft of luxury cars in Sungai Chua, Kajang, had died while being questioned.

Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar had said a post-mortem found that Kugan had died due to fluid in his lungs but Kugan’s family sought a second post-mortem, insisting that Kugan had died of injuries.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said later that Kugan’s death had been classified as murder.

A second post-mortem on Kugan has been done at the UMMC since.

About 300 had gathered inside the compound and outside of the UMMC, and about 100 policemen including from the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) were on hand to monitor the crowd while a helicopter hovered above.

The hearse carrying Kugan’s body stopped at the Taipan police station for prayers and the funeral procession proceeded to the Batu 14 Hindu cemetery for the burial. Kugan was buried at 5.45pm.

Earlier, at the UMMC mortuary, those present included Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy, Teluk Intan MP M. Manogaran, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and N. Surendran, the lawyer representing Kugan’s family.

source: NST

MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE!