KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 23): The mood may have been somber at the Elephant Fountain in Brickfields tonight, but the loud call for justice could be heard clearly throughout the busy area

Organised by the Stop State Violence Coalition, comprising 42 non-governmental organisations, the “Justice for Sugumar, Najib Don’t Stop Porntip!” candlelight vigil was attended by close to 50 people.
Among those present were Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) executive director Nalini Elumalai, human rights lawyer Roger Chan and Subang MP R. Sivarasa.

The vigil is meant to raise awareness on the issue, as well as pressure for action.

It was regarding the death of security guard C Sugumar on Jan 23 in Hulu Langat.

Witnesses claimed he was beaten up by policemen while he was handcuffed after being arrested for allegedly damaging public property.

An initial post-mortem report by Serdang Hospital stated the cause of death as a heart attack and police have denied the allegations by the witnesses.
However, Sugumar’s family demanded the police to investigate the claims.

After immense public pressure and a request from Sugumar’s family, the Health Ministry had agreed for a second post-mortem to be conducted.

Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand was slated to arrive in Malaysia with her team on Feb 20 to perform the second post-mortem.

However, she changed her mind later, citing “personal reasons.”

PKR vice-president N Surendran, one of the lawyers representing Sugumar’s family, claimed the Malaysian authorities had applied pressure on the Thai government to stop her from coming.

The claim was strongly denied by a source in the Prime Minister’s Office.