SHAH ALAM, Sept 27 — “This is the answer we have been waiting for,” said Mohd Asraf Mohd Kassim, 31, the older brother of Muhammad Adib, a firefighter who died following a riot at Sri Maha Mariamman, Temple, USJ 25, Subang Jaya last year.
The Shah Alam Coroner's Court today established that the firefighter died after he was assaulted by two or three unidentified people during the riot.
The conclusion was announced by Coroner Rofiah Mohamad.
“We are satisfied with the decision,” said Mohd Asraf to reporters at the gates of the Shah Alam Court Complex.
Earlier, the court informed that members of the media were not allowed to interview Muhammad Adib's family and lawyers in the compound of the court.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Adib's fiancee Nurul Najihah Mohd Radzi, who was seen sobbing outside the court, also expressed relief and gratitude over the decision.
Muhammad Adib, a member of the EMRS Unit of the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Station, was seriously injured during a riot outside the temple on Nov 27, last year before succumbing to his injuries on December 17, at the National Heart Institute.
Thirty witnesses including several experts were called to testify in the proceeding which began on February 11.
Among the expert witnesses called were Kuala Lumpur Hospital forensic specialist Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre Dr Anand Sachitanandan and United Kingdom-based senior consultant forensic pathologist Prof Dr Shahrom Abd Wahid.
A total of 137 exhibits were submitted with various arguments raised by the parties involved before the proceeding came to a close on July 24.
Deputy public prosecutor Faten Hadni Khairuddin acted as the coordinating officer in the inquest while Muhammad Adib's family was represented by a panel of lawyers comprising Syazlin Mansor, Mohd Kamaruzaman Abdul Wahab, Ahmad Taufiq Baharum, Yahaya Othman and Zamri Ibrahim.
Speaking to reporters, Kamarulzaman said the court's decision today must be followed up with further action by the police and the attorney-general.
“On behalf of the family, we demand that the guilty parties be arrested and charged in court,” he said.
Syazlin meanwhile, thanked expert witnesses who came to testify pro-bono in the inquest.
“My heartfelt thanks to Dr Shahrom and UiTM physics expert Dr Amir Radzi Ab Ghani for their testimonies,” she said. — Bernama
