TAIPING: Police have recorded statements from 82 individuals to assist in the investigation of the death of a male prisoner at Taiping Prison, suspected of having been beaten by a warden on Jan 17, says Perak police chief Deputy Comm Zulkafli Sariaat.
He told Malay language daily Sinar Harian that the statements were taken from two prison officers and 80 inmates.
He was speaking after a road safety campaign at the South Taiping Plaza Toll on the West Coast Expressway (WCE) on Monday (Jan 27).
DCP Zulkafli added that an investigation paper has been opened under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
He added that the statement recording is still ongoing and will involve more prisoners and prison officers as witnesses.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Prisons Department confirmed that an incident had occurred at the Taping Prison involving an inmate who had been transferred from the Batu Gajah Correctional Centre.
It said that a police report had been lodged and an investigation into the provocation was being carried out to determine the cause of the situation.
"The Prisons Department will not compromise and take strict against anyone found responsible if elements of negligence or procedural weaknesses are identified," it said in the statement.
Earlier, the families of more than 100 inmates at Taiping Prison had called for an investigation of abuse claims against wardens there, who they say have inflicted injuries that even led to a fatality.
United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) president P. Ramasamy claimed that the inmates were beaten up by the wardens after being transferred there from Batu Gajah Correctional Centre on Jan 16.
The incident allegedly began when the inmates, placed in a hall infested with snakes, centipedes and strewn with refuse, asked to be relocated.
However, the relatives claimed that the following day, the inmates were beaten up by the wardens.
Among them was a 61-year-old man, arrested for a drug offence, who reportedly died on Jan 17.
"The death certificate states that the cause of death was abdominal injury owing to blunt trauma, but the prison claimed he died of a heart attack," Ramasamy told reporters in front of the prison on Monday (Jan 27).
"This is a serious matter and we urge the government and the Home Ministry to take appropriate action against the wardens involved."
Ramasamy also claimed that after the incident, the families were told that their loved ones were "under quarantine" and so were denied visits.
"I ask for an investigation to be carried out against the (prison authorities). The Home Ministry needs to take appropriate action against the wardens involved.
"Wardens cannot act (as they like). In Malaysia... we have laws," he said.
Urimai interim deputy chairman David Marshel claimed that the issue came to light when an inmate's family raised the matter with the party.
“I was told that about 40 wardens were involved in the incident," he claimed.
Marshel also said the prison's CCTV cameras were turned off for three to four hours during the alleged incident.
"These people are under remand and have not been convicted of anything yet," he said.
The 20-year-old son of the deceased, who refused to be named, said he wanted the truth and for justice to be served in his father's death.
