KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 — A police officer today suggested that Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun be subpoenaed to explain why the latter had said firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim was assaulted in the temple riot last November.
Senior investigating officer Lew Keng Joe made the call when testifying before the Coroner’s Court in Shah Alam in the ongoing inquest into the death of the fireman, Malaysiakini reported.
The report said Ahmad Taufiq Baharum, the lawyer for Muhammad Adib’s family, had asked the officer why Mohamad Fuzi had made a statement shortly after the incident that the firefighter was assaulted.
Lew first replied that he was unsure but then speculated that perhaps the IGP had met with the firefighters involved; adding that while Mohamad Fuzi’s comment was important, it did not help much in their investigation.
Malaysiakini said that when Taufiq pointed out that the IGP made the statement before Adib died from his injuries and a post-mortem was conducted, Lew responded by asking if the lawyer wanted him to record the IGP’s statement.
“Do you want me to record the IGP’s statement? Maybe you should subpoena the IGP and ask him (to explain),” he said.
Mohamad Fuzi had reportedly denied on November 29 that Muhammad Adib was injured when a Fire and Rescue Department vehicle reversed into him after a video allegedly of the incident surfaced.
He had told reporters that Fire and Rescue director-general Datuk Mohamad Hamdan Wahid had also clarified that it was not Muhammad Adib in the video.
When asked if it was confirmed Muhammad Adib had been assaulted, Mohamad Fuzi had replied: “If he was not assaulted, how would he be in such a critical condition with so much injuries on him?”
Muhammad Adib was critically injured in the early morning of November 27 after he and his team members from the Subang Jaya fire station responded to an emergency call at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple where a riot was taking place.
He was first taken to the Subang Jaya Medical Centre, before being transferred to IJN for further treatment, where he succumbed to his wounds on December 17.
