Mother of UTM Palapes cadet who died during training demands second autopsy amid suspicions of abuse

Malay Mail

3 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — The mother of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Reserve Officers Training Unit (Palapes) trainee cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsudin, who died during training at the Army Basic Training Centre (Pulada) in Ulu Tiram, Johor, on July 28, has filed a notice of motion seeking an order to exhume her son's grave to conduct a second autopsy.
Based on the notice of motion obtained by the media today, Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun, 45, filed the notice yesterday through Messrs. Naran Singh & Co at the Shah Alam High Court Registry.
She named Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail and Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar as the respondents.
Her lawyer, Datuk Naran Singh, when contacted today, confirmed the filing of the notice of motion.
Ummu Haiman Bee is seeking an order to be issued to the Inspector-General of Police, the Attorney-General and relevant parties to order the exhumation of Syamsul Haris' body at the Kampung Rinching Ulu Muslim Cemetery, in Selangor.
She also sought an order to compel forensic experts from the Kuala Lumpur Hospital to conduct a post-mortem on Syamsul Haris' body within 14 days after the body was removed in the presence of forensic expert Datuk Seri Dr Bhupinder Singh and the family's appointed lawyer or a representative from Messrs. Naran Singh & Co.
Ummu Haiman Bee is also seeking a court order directing the Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department to appoint a new team from the Bukit Aman Police Headquarters to take over the investigation from the current investigating officer and to conduct a probe into the deceased's death, similar to the investigation carried out in the Zara Qairina Mahathir case.
She is further seeking an order for the Attorney General to conduct an inquest to determine the cause of Syamsul Haris' death, along with any other orders or relief deemed appropriate and just by the court.
The application was filed on the grounds that the first post-mortem was not conducted by a hospital forensic expert, but instead by one Dr George Sixtus Fernandez Jr, a Grade UD10 medical officer.
The applicant alleged that there were criminal elements involved in Syamsul Haris' death, citing various contradictions regarding the stated cause of death.
She also claimed that the family was not allowed to view the deceased's entire body, either while at the Forensic Department or during the bathing and shrouding process.
According to the applicant, the body of the deceased was also brought out in a closed coffin and when asked to have the coffin lid opened, only the face was opened and shown to the applicant.
In her supporting affidavit, Ummu Haiman Bee said her son had attended a shooting training on July 27 during a Palapes training course at the Army Basic Training Centre (Pulada), Ulu Tiram, Johor.
She said that at 4.33pm the following day (July 28), she received a call from a lecturer at UTM informing her that her son had died at the Kota Tinggi Hospital, Johor.
According to Ummu Haiman Bee, she went to the hospital at 4am on July 29 to see her son's body and saw there were bruises and injuries, especially on the neck, the chest was bloody, and black bruises on the face and right eye.
'I believe the injuries to the chest and right eye were caused by blows with blunt objects. I also believe the bleeding from my son's nose, which did not stop until his body was buried, clearly shows that he was beaten and suffered injuries to the brain and chest.
'Indeed, the pictures of the injuries to my son clearly show that they were caused by blunt objects,' she said.
On August 13, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin was reported to have said that the Investigation Committee found no elements of abuse on Syamsul Haris, who died while attending training at Pulada, Ulu Tiram in Johor on July 28. — Bernama