KUANTAN: The police will investigate the death of Mariappan Manivannan, 24, at Bentong Prison and record statements from prison officials.
Pahang police chief Comm Datuk Seri Rosli Abdul Rahman said the post-mortem showed that his death was due to severe acute gastroenteritis and the case is being investigated as sudden death.
"From the investigation, we found that there was no foul play. There were no signs of any bruises or that he was hit," said Rosli during the state police contingent's monthly assembly at the Alor Akar Hall here.
When asked if prison conditions could have caused Mariappan's death, Rosli said he couldn't comment, adding that the authorities will inspect the cell and record more detailed statements from prison officials.
He added that Mariappan was imprisoned on April 18 for housebreaking and was expected to be released on Jan 7 next year.
On Thursday (June 7), Lawyers for Liberty executive director Eric Paulsen had said Mariappan had been unwell for a month prior to his death.
"He was admitted to the prison clinic but was not checked by a doctor for a few days. It was unclear if he was ever sent to the hospital," said Paulsen in a statement.
He said that between January 2013 to April 2016, the Prisons Department recorded 721 deaths in all prisons, with the majority of them attributed to diseases.
Paulsen added that Mariappan's death will be a test for the Pakatan Harapan Government's reform agenda and called on the Home and Health Ministries to investigate the conditions of all detention centres and prisons in the country.
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