Cop acquitted of causing hurt
PETALING JAYA: All it took was 30 seconds in court yesterday for police constable V. Navindran to find out he was acquitted of two counts of causing grievous hurt to a suspected car thief who died while in police custody two years ago.
After Sessions Court judge Aslam Zainuddin read out his two-line verdict -- that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case and that Navindran was acquitted -- the policeman flashed a big smile and rushed out of the dock.
Navindran, 28, claimed trial in October 2009 to causing grievous hurt to A. Kugan at the interrogation room of the Taipan police station on Jan 16, 2009.
He also pleaded not guilty to two alternative charges of causing hurt to Kugan at the same place. Kugan died in police custody on Jan 20, 2009. In a choked voice outside the court yesterday, Navindran thanked God and his lawyer Datuk P.M. Nagarajan, adding that he was eager to get back to work.
"I was assigned to desk duty at the Selangor police headquarters since I was charged, but yes, I am looking forward to going back to proper police work," said Navindran, a father of a 3-old-year boy.
"I was not sad or worried because I knew I was innocent," he said.
The trial began in February last year and the prosecution team, led by Mohamad Abazafree Mohd Abbas, called 24 witnesses.
Kugan, 22, who had been remanded for two weeks in connection with several luxury car thefts, collapsed and died at Taipan police station in USJ, Subang Jaya during interrogation.
His death gained wide media coverage when his relatives allegedly stormed into the hospital mortuary, locked themselves in, and took pictures of his body.
Deputy Ministers Senator Datuk T. Murugiah and Datuk S.K. Devamany were also implicated as being part of the mob at the mortuary.
The two deputy ministers, however, later clarified that they received phone calls from the family of the deceased and only went to the hospital to see how they could help defuse the tense situation at the mortuary.
It was reported three days after Kugan died that the police had, with immediate effect, removed 11 constables and lance corporals from the Subang Taipan police station where Kugan was detained.
It was also reported that the case was reclassified as murder and that the then Selangor police chief, Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar, had said the policemen were currently at the contingent headquarters doing desk duties.
During the trial, police witnesses had testified that Kugan had given information on his involvement in car thefts in Puchong and Subang Jaya and that he had confessed to car thefts.
xrockybrux Rocky Bru
After royal commission of inquiry for TBH now MIC wants RCI on Kugan's death. That after court found cop NOT guilty!
