Kugan family members, lawyers and politicians hold pictures of Kugan outside the court.
Muthama (left) and Renuja talk to the press after the court hearing. At the back is Gobind.
Policeman V. Navindran today claimed trial to two counts of causing grievous hurt to extract information or a confession from suspected car thief A. Kugan, who died in police custody last Jan 20.
The 28-year-old constable is accused of committing the offences at 7am and again at 4pm on Jan 1 at the serious crime interrogation room at the USJ Taipan police station.
Session Court judge Aslem Zainuddin set bail at RM10,000 for both charges and the case was fixed for mention on Nov 5.
Navindran, who is married with a child, was in court today as early as 6.30am and press photographers had problems getting pictures of him.
While in the dock, court policemen were seen greeting him before he was charged.
Family cried Injustice.
Outside the courtroom, Kugan’s family expressed outrage that only one policeman was charged for his death and it was not for murder.
Following Kugan’s death, 11 rank and file policemen were transferred to desk duty at the Selangor police headquarters.
“We don’t want this, we want them to be charged for murder,” said Kugan’s aunt S. Renuja.
With tears in the eyes, Kugan’s grandmother G. Muthama, 60, said she still cries every night over the loss.
“The police think they are so big.” she said.
Kugan’s uncle M.S. Mahendran, 47, sarcastically said this is 1 Malaysia.
“If there was really 1 Malaysia, they should be fair. We are also humans but the law is dead.”
“The multiple injuries on his body speak for itself. It’s hard to believe only one person is responsible.”
Gobind said he will write to the Attorney-General (A-G) for an explanation.
Gobind said the suspect also should have been charged for murder and the matter should have been left to the court to decide.
“Never mind if the court later decides the charge should be reduced.”
He said the timing of the charge, which is ahead of the upcoming by-election in Bagan Pinang, was also questionable but he did not elaborate.
Kugan died after five days in detention at the USJ police lockup on suspicion of being involved in the theft of luxury cars.
Police initially denied any foul play and attributed his death to water in his lungs, which was the findings of an initially post-mortem report at the Serdang Hospital.
Following a public outcry the A-G instructed for the case to be reclassified as murder and a second post-mortem, which was carried out on the insistence of Kugan’ family and detailed massive injuries on his body.
----
Video menunjukkan keadaan mayat A Kugan yang didakwa meninggal akibat paru-paru berair ketika berada dalam tahanan polis
----
Youth dies in Malaysian Police Custody
-----
