PUTRAJAYA, June 5 – An ex-convict told a public hearing today that police had beat him up during an interrogation after arresting him and S. Balamurugan, who had died in custody.

K. Tamilarasan told the inquiry conducted by the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) into Balamurugan’s death that he was beaten with a bamboo stick and an orange-coloured hose pipe by the police at the Bandar Baru Klang police station, shortly after being detained with Balamurugan and juvenile Ang Kian Kok on February 6 this year.

"The police had slapped Balamurugan on the face and punched his left ribs. Before that, me and Ang were beaten by the officers.

"The police used a bamboo stick to continuously hit my head for about 30 minutes and he also took an orange hose to beat the soles of my feet about five times.”

Tamilarasan was formerly a worker at Balamurugan's second-hand tyre shop. Without sparing any details, Tamilarasan also alleged that an officer known as Inspector T. Mohaneswaran from the Serious Crime unit (D9) had told Balamurugan that he was no longer the "head” once he was in police custody.

"The officer told him, ‘outside, you’re the head. But, inside, I am the head’.

"Balamurugan was then punched in his chest. Shortly after, another officer came in, dragged him by his clothes and kicked his chest as well.”After the interrogation, Balamurugan and Tamilarasan were brought to the North Klang district police station, he said, adding that Balamurugan’s condition had worsened by this time.

"I had to assist him to walk towards the patrol car. Upon taking a seat inside, Balamurugan had coughed out blood.

"I even caught some of the blood on my right arm.”

Tamilarasan said he had notified the police about Balamurugan’s condition, but claimed his pleas were ignored.

"I told the driver that Balamurugan was coughing out blood. The officer who drove the patrol car then told me ‘padan muka’ (well-deserved).”

Last month, the public hearing was told that the police had ignored the Klang magistrate court's order to release Balamurugan, who would later succumb, on February 7 at the North Klang district police headquarters, to his injuries.

A pathologist in charge of the autopsy noted that blunt force trauma consistent with beatings had contributed to Balamurugan’s death, as he already had existing heart conditions and liver disease.