Deepavali is still being celebrated in the country and many are very much on a long break away from work, eagerly spending precious time with loved ones. Sadly, for some families, their Deepavali has been marred by an uneventful cause of concern.
In recent days, most of us have definitely discovered a perturbing video featuring 29 Indian men, handcuffed by the police pleading to be released from custody despite being given an innocent verdict by the court.
What actually happened? Why were they brought to custody in the first place?
According to last week’s media reports, the group of 29 Malaysian-Indian men were detained following a shooting incident near a school in Banting, Selangor, which took place at the end of September 2020.
CW: Police brutality.
The thread below provides further clarification but you can read this image for context dulu.
TLDR: A group of Indian men who have been deemed innocent and free to go by court, are still being detained by the @PDRMsia https://t.co/7RWoXfCSy5 pic.twitter.com/ZwhXgJpD08
— Helter Skelter (@Roshinee_M) November 13, 2020
The men in the video could be seen pleading to be freed, and the police officers forcefully hand-cuffing them, keeping them in custody.
Police brutality allegations have been raised on social media, prior to watching the video, seeing the men being Kept in Custody despite a ruling By the Petaling Jaya Magistrate Court ordering them to be freed.
innocent and there was no proof of them committing said crime. However, even after the court order came out, the police are refusing to let these men go and are keeping them detained, saying that these people did it. pic.twitter.com/78ICNdjUk5
— lil izzah vert (@apizzahoe) November 12, 2020
The police were criticised by parliamentarians and a human rights organisation for exploiting the remand order by holding the men incarcerated despite the court ruling pleading them not guilty.
Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) Professor Dr Ramasamy Palanisamy in a statement said:
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“One of the wives of a detainee said that the police took the husband away for investigation assuring that he would be released soon, however the police department had intended to charge them under SOSMA or POCA but was disallowed by the court’
Ramasamy further questioned the police to clarify why 29 men have remained imprisoned for the past two months at a lock-up in Banting, Selangor, despite being given an innocent verdict by the court.
Ramasamy said there was suspicion that the men were arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), which provides for detention without trial.
Upon this, DAP Klang MP Charles Santiago notified the families that the Deputy Public Prosecutor had declared No Further Action (NFA) against the 29 men.
No Further Action (NFA) is defined as a ruling where the police will not be able to carry forward with the case and drop all investigations.
He further claimed that the men were arrested for crimes they did not commit.
Press Statement : 13 November 2020
"While I ask the police to release all 25 men as ordered by the court, I also urge the government to set-up the IPCMC as opposed to its watered-down version to ensure the police do not take the law into their hands." pic.twitter.com/JZZxpR27Dw
— Charles Santiago (@mpklang) November 13, 2020
Surpassing this affair, PDRM finally released an official statement pertaining to this matter, declaring the men kept captive were being detained under police custody because they were found to be originating from a mafia gang, TCB 21 GANG.
KENYATAAN MEDIA PENGARAH JABATAN SIASATAN JENAYAH
Tangkapan Ke Atas Kumpulan Janayah Terancang Geng TCB 21. pic.twitter.com/6Qt6jm01jX
— Polis Diraja M'sia (@PDRMsia) November 13, 2020
But this report however only provoked more questions among Malaysians, firing the police department, questioning on the court’s judgement that has ruled them as innocent repeated times, and why the need to detain them further.
Will justice be served to the 29 men? Do they really belong to the mafia gang, TCB 21?
More updates to follow!
