Sunday, 19 February 2017 | MYT 11:30 AM
Second postmortem finds Balamurugan suffered beatings in custody, lawyers claim
File pic of Lawyer N. Surendran (left) meeting Balamurugan's family recently. BERNAMA
PETALING JAYA: The second postmortem on S. Balamurugan has confirmed that he suffered multiple beatings while in police custody, his lawyers said.
Lawyers N. Surendran and Latheefa Koya said that the autopsy conducted at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) revealed that Balamurugan, who was found dead while in police custody, had died from "coronary artery disease with multiple blunt force injuries".
Balamurugan, 44, was arrested on Feb 6 and brought to court for a remand order the following day.
The magistrate rejected the remand order but police did not release him.
Police personnel found him dead in the early hours on Feb 8.
A second post mortem on Balamurugan’s body was conducted by HKL after it was granted by the Shah Alam High Court on Feb 15.
"The findings of the second autopsy have confirmed the fears of the family of the late Balamurugan.
"The deceased suffered multiple injuries to various parts of the body including the chest, head, legs and back which triggered heart failure," the lawyers said in a joint statement on Sunday.
"In other words, because Balamurugan had an underlying heart condition, the beatings he received in police custody triggered heart failure," they said.
As there is no more doubt as to the cause of death, they said, there was no need for any inquest into Balamurugan’s death.
"In light of these findings, on behalf of the family of S. Balamurugan, we call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of all police personnel who were involved in the assault and consequent death of S. Balamurugan," said Surendran and Latheefa.Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/02/19/lawyers-claim-balamurugan-autopsy-beatings-custody/#mOSsWSc4MW2GaHeh.99
