EAIC to investigate death of detainee in police custody

KUALA LUMPUR: The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) will open investigations into the death of detainee M. Thanaseelan at a police station in Hulu Selangor immediately.
The commission said the death of Thanaseelan, 43, would be investigated to ascertain if there was misconduct in the detainee's death especially if there was any criminal behaviour by police officers while handling the detainee.
This is the third such incident in under a month where a detainee has died in police custody.
"The EAIC views this incident seriously as it happened following two deaths in police custody: Soh Kai Chiok at IPD Bera, Pahang, on Jan 18 and S. Balamurugan at IPD Klang Utara on Feb 8," EAIC chairman Datuk Yaacob Md Sam (pix) said in a statement today.
The EAIC said its investigators have recorded statements by 53 witnesses in Soh's case and 47 witnesses in Balamurugan's case.
"Together with this statement, I call upon and urge all PDRM officers and officials to pay attention, take guidance from and obey the PDRM Lock-Up Management SOP issued by Bukit Aman on April 21, 2014 which comprehensively details the management of detainees at police lock-ups," said Yaacob.
Thanaseelan was found unconscious in his cell at about 1.50am last Saturday by the policeman who was in charge of the lock-up and he duly informed the officer at the information counter at the Bukit Sentosa station.
Thanaseelan was declared dead at the scene.
Thanaseelan's family lawyers said a post-mortem showed that he had died of a perforated gastric ulcer and questioned why he was kept in detention, noting that police lock-up rules provided for situations where a detainee may not be fit for further detention.