The family outside the police station in Damansara with PKR MP R. Sivarasa two weeks ago after they made their police report. — Picture by Choo Choy May

SHAH ALAM, May 25 — The High Court today granted the family of the late Mohamad Johari Abu Bakar a second post-mortem, but asked the family to pay for it.

Johari was killed in an alleged shootout with police two weeks ago.

“As a Muslim, I am duty bound to expedite the burial…the body needs to be buried as soon as possible.

“There is no objection provided the applicant bear the costs of the second post-mortem,” said Judge Datuk Wira Mokhtar Baki.

Johari’s family has accused a government pathologist of failing to consult and inform them of the first post-mortem done on the 17-year-old on May 13.

Dr Abdul Karim Tajuddin, the government pathologist in Hospital Serdang, conducted a post-mortem on the teenager.

“We are going to do it now…we are going to rush it …we will get Serdang hospital to send the body to University Malaya Medical Centre (for the second post-mortem),” said the family’s lawyer N. Surendran.

Surendran told reporters that the examination would be done “as soon as possible” so that Johari’s body could be buried by this evening or tomorrow morning.

Johari’s body is now at the Serdang Hospital. His family prefer Universiti Malaya Medical Centre to perform the second examination, with an external qualified observer present.

Johari’s family members, including his mother, grandmother and two brothers, lodged a police report at the Damansara police station on May 15, seeking an independent investigation into the death and requesting the second post-mortem.

Johari, a school dropout turned odd-job worker, was shot dead by police behind a budget hotel at the Cyber Valley Commercial Centre, Dengkil, at about 10.30pm on May 13.

According to the police, the youth was in-hiding with four other suspects after stealing a Toyota Alphard near Taman Megah, Kelana Jaya, on May 10.

He was allegedly gunned down after opening fire at the cops trying to apprehend him.

Johari’s family members are however questioning the circumstances surrounding the boy’s fatal shooting, accusing the police of being inconsistent about the incident, and have complained of “suspicious” assault signs on Johari’s body, like a broken right arm.

“He would have turned 17 this June,” said Johari’s mother Salmah Mohamed Shariff today.

“We still want to know how he died,” she told reporters.

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
May 25, 2011

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