SHAH ALAM: The testimonies of witnesses who were present at the scene during a riot at a Hindu temple in Subang Jaya, last year, were among the factors considered by the Coroner’s Court here in unravelling what could have happened to Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim.
The witnesses, included, among others, a retired soldier Mohd Hafisan Nordin, 33; Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) volunteer R. Narresh, 30; and a contractor, S. Sures, 33.
When announcing her decision, Coroner Rofiah Mohamad said the tenth witness, Mohd Hafisan, who had accidentally driven his Mitsubishi Storm into the riot area, told the court that he wanted to make a ‘u-turn’ after seeing a group of individuals in the area.
The witness told the court that a woman told him not to pass by the temple for fear that he might be beaten up.
“When a person with good intention prohibits someone from doing something for fear that something bad would happen, it was normally derived from an experience or knowledge that person had gone through.
“Therefore, it can be concluded that the woman tried to stop Mohd Hafisan because she had seen or known that someone was beaten up in the area.
“The conclusion, therefore, is very safe to take into consideration, together with the testimonies of the other witnesses who were present at the scene – Sures and Narresh,” the coroner said.
In addition, she said, Sures who was the eighth witness, saw acts such as hitting, kicking and stomping on a subject surrounded by a group of 20 to 30 men.
“When Sures approached the group to see the subject, he found that the subject was late Muhammad Adib who was unconscious. Sures was pushed and fell over the victim’s chest. At that time, someone kicked the witness. The kick was clearly meant for the victim, aiming for the chest, but accidentally hit the witness who had fallen over the victim,” she said.
Coroner Rofiah said Sures also told the court that he heard words like “Don’t hit. Why do you want to beat up a fireman?”, in Tamil.
In explaining the testimony given by National Heart Institute (IJN) assistant surgical officer Muhammad Ashraff Baruji, Coroner Rofiah said the 16th witness, who took care of the firefighter since he was admitted at IJN, had formed a bond with Muhammad Adib, where the deceased himself told Muhammad Ashraff that he was dragged and beaten in the riot.
Besides that, she said Muhammad Adib also informed Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue station chief Syed Shahril Anuar Syed Sulaiman, 39, that he was dragged out of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) van before being beaten.
“Therefore, the court concluded that the death of Muhammad Adib was the result of criminal act by two or three unidentified people,” she added.
Muhammad Adib, who was a member of the EMRS of the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Station sustained serious injuries during a commotion at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, USJ 25, Subang Jaya on Nov 27, last year. After fighting for his life for 21 days, Muhammad Adib succumbed to his injuries on Dec 17.
The inquest proceedings over the death of Muhammad Adib began on February 11, with 30 witnesses called to give their statements, including several expert witnesses. — Bernama