SHAH ALAM (Bernama): A witness told the Coroner's Court that he heard several people shouting “don't hit” the fireman during the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple riot on Nov 27 last year.
S. Sures (pic), 33, who is a contractor, said this during the inquest to determine the cause of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim's death on the fifth day of the proceeding on Friday (Feb 15).
According to Sures, he heard the shouts when a fireman was slumped against a bumper of a car.
“I saw someone slumped against the car bumper and it was dark then.
"At that time, people were still gathered there and I could still hear the shouts ‘don't hit'," he said when asked by deputy public prosecutor Zhafran Rahim Hamzah, who is also the coordinating officer for the inquest.
Sures, who is the eighth witness, said he was in the crowd when he was pushed and fell on a fireman, who he then identified as Muhammad Adib.
"I fell on his legs. And then I realised he was a fireman because of what he was wearing,” he added.
When asked by lawyer Syazlin Mansor, who appeared for the Housing and Local Government Ministry and the Fire and Rescue Department, Sures then demonstrated to the court how he fell on Muhammad Adib.
"At that time, somebody kicked me on the right shoulder,” he added.
To a question by lawyer Kamaruzaman Abdul Wahab, who is holding a watching brief for Muhammad Adib's family, Sures said he fell after being pushed from the back.
Kamaruzaman: Do you know who kicked you?
Suresh: I did not see (who).
Kamaruzaman: Kicked you once?
Sures: Yes.
Kamaruzaman: Did anyone in the crowd said the victim was hit by a vehicle?
Sures: No.
To a question by Zhafran, Sures said he assumed that that firefighter was assaulted.
Sures said that was because he heard the people in the crowd saying the firefighter was assaulted and then conveyed the matter to a friend, R. Narresh, who was nearby.
Zhafran: Why did you tell Narresh that a fireman was assaulted?
Sures: I heard people say “don't hit, don't hit”.
After the incident, Sures said he and his friends went to a hospital in Subang Jaya where the firefighter was sent for treatment.
The proceeding before Coroner Rofiah Mohamad continues on Monday (Feb 18). - Bernama
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