KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) commissioner Datuk Mary @ Mariati Robert today assured the family of Vinayagam Jaganathan that the commission would look into his unsolved murder.
The Vinayagam Action Team established by non-government organisation (NGO) Agamam Ani Malaysia’s legal unit met with Mary this afternoon at Suhakam’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur to hand over a petition requesting an inquiry into the alleged negligence of the police in their investigation of Vinayagam’s murder.
“We will give you follow-ups with the police; whatever it is, we have to start from there,” she said, adding that the family will be updated whenever possible.
She also assured the family that the officers who will be handling the case are very experienced.
The family was represented today by Agamam Ani Malaysia chairman Arun Dorasamy.
He requested a closed-door session with Suhakam’s commissioners to share information that he had found from his investigations.
Vinayagam was abducted from Masjid India at 7.32pm on October 26, 2021, according to the NGO’s investigation, based on data from his phone.
He had been on the phone with his wife of five months at the time when the call was interrupted and his phone’s mobile data was switched off.
The last thing that she heard was a honk and someone saying “tuan” or “puan”.
His body was found three days later along the Ulu Yam-Batang Kali road at 8am. His hands and legs were bound, and his throat had been slit by a blunt instrument.
He was 32 at the time of his death.
Arun claimed that the police investigation was negligent as it had missed many windows of opportunity.
He gave the example of the police claiming that there was no CCTV footage.
His private investigation, however, found 21 CCTV cameras in the area where Vinayagam was abducted, along the escape routes possibly taken by the abductors, and around the body’s dumpsite.
Vinayagam’s mother Sumathi Gopal was present, and she wept while pleading in Tamil, which Arun translated, for justice for her only son.
“He was slain like he did not matter and all she wants is justice,” he said.
She said that he was a good person and a good citizen.
