PUTRAJAYA: To Inspector S. Baladevan, his policeman father, the late Detective Corporal R. Sanghadevan, who perished in the tragedy at Bukit Jenalik, Sauk in Perak, is his biggest inspiration to continue the legacy of serving with the police.
"My father is my idol," said the 44-year-old police officer attached to the Security and Public Order Division at the Selangor Contingent Police Headquarters.
Baladevan could not hold back his emotions and momentarily paused before continuing the interview.
"I have had an interest in joining the force since I was young. After taking the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination, I told my father about it, but he advised me to pursue my studies first so that I could hold a rank higher than his," he told Bernama after the Warriors’ Day Celebration 2024 at Dataran Pahlawan here on Wednesday (July 31).
The second of six siblings said after completing his studies, he decided to join the police force, a decision that received full support from his mother, S. Malligarani.
On the incident that took his father’s life 24 years ago, Baladevan said it happened when he just started to pursue a mechanical engineering diploma course in Johor Baru.
"My father stayed with me for three weeks there (Johor Baru) for registration and other matters. The incident occurred a week after he went back to work," he said, adding that he received a phone call from a police officer urging him to return to Kuala Kangsar immediately.
"I learned about what happened to my father upon arriving home. After watching the special pantomime 'Op Subuh' earlier, I gained a clearer understanding of what happened at that time," he said.
‘Op Subuh’ revolves around the skirmish between the national security forces and a group of individuals calling themselves ‘Al-Maunah’ at Bukit Jenalik, Sauk in Perak, who planned to overthrow the government in July 2000.
The Bukit Jenalik tragedy claimed the lives of Sanghadevan, a Special Branch officer, and the army’s Gerup Gerak Khas commando Trooper Mathew Medan.
Meanwhile, Mathew’s father, Medan Nunying, 84, expressed pride in his late son.
"We need to stand together to defend this country from enemies. We are Malaysians, and this is our country," he said. – Bernama
