Set up IPCMC, implement EAIC recommendations - Ambiga

Ambiga, who joined calls for IPCMC to be set up, also urged for closed-circuit television camera (CCTVs) to be installed in all police lock-ups with immediate effect.

The formation of the IPCMC was proposed by a royal commission proposed in 2005, but it has yet to be formed.

The National Human Rights Society (HAKAM) president said the 2015 Suaram Human Rights report shows that there have been 250 deaths in police custody in the last decade.

"If the authorities concerned are not yet convinced of the dire need for the IPCMC, then what will it take? A few policemen, who break the law must not be allowed to tarnish the name of all the other professional policemen who work hard to keep us safe.

"How many more must die in custody before we take the necessary steps to address this problem? We are talking of possible murder and yet we treat every case as just another statistic of death in custody. All lives matter. Until we establish this as our primary truth, we are far from being a civilized society," she said in a press statement today.

She said, the EAIC had among others recommended that in cases involving death in custody, an independent and experienced investigating officer, who is not from the State police contingent where the death occurred, should carry out investigations.

However, this is not happening in the case of S.Balamurugan. who died in police custody earlier this month, she noted.

Ambiga also called on immediate suspension of all the officers implicated pending full investigations.

The Attorney General’s Chambers, she stressed must adopt immediate steps to ascertain if and why the Magistrate's order to send Balamurugan to hospital was not complied with.

She also urged the AGC to take appropriate action in respect of those who defied the court order.

Balamurugan, 44 died in police custody at the North Klang police headquarters on Feb 7.

At the request of his family, a second autopsy was carried out at Hospital Kuala Lumpur.