JOHOR BAHRU, Jan 13 — Police will initiate formal investigations against the policeman who allegedly assaulted a motorcyclist at a petrol station in Taman Perling here following a report lodged on the incident.

Newly-minted Johor Bahru North police chief Assistant Commissioner Radin Ramlan Radin Taha said police received a report lodged by the 21-year-old victim at 6.17pm yesterday.

“The report was based on a widely circulated social media video where a plainclothes policeman had slapped the victim while checking on motorcycles at a petrol station in Taman Perling. 

“Police will initiate investigations under Section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt, which carries up to one year’s imprisonment, a fine of up to RM2,000 or both upon conviction,” he said in a statement after taking over his new role as the Johor Bahru North police chief today.

Radin Ramlan urged the public to refrain from speculating on the case and appealed to those with information to come forward.

He also gave assurance that the investigation will be conducted transparently, fairly and with integrity.

At a separate event, Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said a total of four individuals, including witnesses and policemen, have been called up to give their statements regarding the incident.

He said that several more witnesses are expected to be called in the course of the investigation.

“At the same time, investigators will be tracking available closed-circuit television (CCTV) video footage at the incident’s location,” he told reporters in response to the incident at the Johor police contingent headquarters here today.

On public calls for the policeman to be suspended, Ab Rahaman said police adhere to the legal process where an order is needed to charge a person in court.

“The policeman is still on duty and can only be suspended when there is sufficient evidence for prosecution in court,” he said, adding that the policeman has since been relegated to normal policing duties and barred from any operational duties for the duration of the investigation.

Police yesterday confirmed that the individual featured in a viral video footage of the incident is a policeman attached to the Johor Bahru North police district.

Checks revealed that the policeman is in his 20s and is actually attached to the district’s Special Branch division and not in the traffic and enforcement division.

On Sunday, a 33-second Facebook video of a plainclothes policeman slapping a male motorcyclist was widely circulated.

The video was uploaded on the same evening after the incident at the petrol station in Taman Perling and gained traction on social media.

The video created public outcry over the conduct of the policeman for deliberately assaulting the motorcyclist before identifying himself.