Scuffle Outside Parliament Cops Summon Psm Leader To Be Arrested

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Police have summoned PSM deputy chairperson S Arutchelvan to the Dang Wangi police headquarters this evening to be arrested, following the incident during a memorandum submission outside Parliament on Aug 13.
Arutchelvan confirmed the matter in a press conference at PSM headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today, saying that the officers from the Dang Wangi district police headquarters contacted his lawyer last night.
He questioned the reason for the arrest, and described it as an abuse of power, as he had already given full cooperation on Aug 14 when he was initially investigated and summoned over the incident.
"What clearly seems like abuse of power is that they still want to arrest me after they have investigated me last week. The next step would be to go to the deputy public prosecutor. So, what is the arrest today meant to be (for)?
“The police officer (from Dang Wangi) even said to me, ‘(Tomorrow) you just come, I will arrest. But (after that) I don’t want anything to do with this case’. It is as if they are fulfilling orders from higher authorities who are so determined to see me arrested and locked up,” he said.
PSM deputy chairperson S ArutchelvanIn a statement last week, Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus said a police officer was injured in the scuffle between the police and a group of several estate workers.
He also said that a report had been lodged and that an investigation paper had been opened.
The police also described the incident as a “provocation” from the group submitting the memorandum, and that members of the group were seen “ramming police officers on duty” in a viral video.
Describing Fadil’s statement as “twisting the narrative”, Arutchelvan reiterated that he did not harm any police officers, nor were there any damage found after the incident.
Nevertheless, Arutchelvan said he would be surrendering himself at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters at 6pm today.
He also joked: “I feel sorry for the police (at Dang Wangi), because it is as if they are only following instructions that they themselves are unhappy to follow…
“But I am grateful to the arresting officer for giving me the opportunity to surrender later this evening. If not, they would have come to my house and arrested me on the spot.”
In solidarity
Arutchelvan’s lawyer KS Bawani said a police officer clarified that the arrest warrant would be made under Section 353 and 427 of the Penal Code for causing harm or intimidation to a public servant on duty and causing mischief resulting in losses worth RM25.00 or more.
“People can be arrested under (those sections of the penal code), but it does not mean that they have to be… If Dang Wangi genuinely wanted to arrest him, they would have done it on Aug 14.
“So why do they want to arrest him now, five days after he had been investigated? Is this because they received instructions from their higher-ups? We feel like this issue reflects an abuse of power by the police,” she said.
Also present at the press conference to show solidarity with Arutchelvan were Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim, Muda Human Rights Bureau director Dobby Chew, and representatives from NGO advocacy groups Suaram, and Mandiri.
They unanimously urged against abuse of power by the police, for the end of police brutality, and demanded future memorandum handovers to take place by the Parliament gates, instead of outside.
A scuffle ensued between several estate workers and the police last week“People being charged must know the specific reasons for those charges. But it seems here that the reasons are not very clear.
However, if Arutchelvan is arrested later, I urge for consideration from the police to conduct another investigation first… There should be no need (to go to the extent of) issuing remand orders from the court,” said Hassan.
Mandiri representative Wong KuKui concurred, saying that this is not the first time police brutality has happened, especially during protests.
“For example, during the Rakyat Benci Rasuah protest in June, several student activists were also harmed by the police in what was supposed to be a peaceful assembly.
“We strongly urge for an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPMC) to be established, and for officers to be equipped with bodycams, to prevent more instances of police brutality in the future,” said Wong.
Chew questioned: “Why is it that the Parliament, which is meant to be a place to represent the rakyat, does not even allow us rakyat to come near its gates? Especially if it is for a peaceful memorandum handover?”
The commotion
In the Aug 13 incident, a commotion broke out between several estate workers and the police, after authorities were seen attempting to prevent a march to the Parliament gates.
In a video seen by Malaysiakini, Arutchelvan was also seen falling to the ground.
Several estate workers marched to Parliament last weekThe march and gathering aimed at submitting a memorandum urging the government to enact laws requiring plantation companies to provide housing for their workers.
The memorandum was handed over to Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M Kulasegaran, a representative of the second deputy prime minister, and Perikatan Nasional chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan. - Mkini

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