KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyer Datuk Naran Singh expressed hope that the police will liaise with him soon regarding the exhumation and second post-mortem of the late Syamsul Haris Shamsudin, as ordered by the High Court yesterday.
“Nothing so far. We hope the investigation team will get in touch with me as soon as possible,” he said, when asked if there had been any updates on the matter.
He said the exhumation and post-mortem should be carried out within 48 hours, with both procedures completed on the same day.
“We must remember that this involves the body of a Muslim person and a second post-mortem is to be performed.”
He said he was relieved that federal police Criminal Investigation Department’s Classified Crimes Unit has taken over the investigation into the death of Syamsul Haris, who was a 22-year-old Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Reserve Officers’ Training Unit (Palapes) cadet.
He said it was what he and Syamsul Haris’s mother, Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun, 45, had been hoping for.
“In a court affidavit, the case’s senior investigating officer had objected to the second post-mortem.
“He should have agreed to it.
“Now that the exhumation and second post-mortem are allowed, we hope justice will prevail,” said Naran.
Ummu Haiman had called for a transparent and thorough investigation, stressing that it must be carried out without efforts to protect any parties.
Syamsul died at the Kota Tinggi Hospital on July 28 while undergoing training at the Combat Inoculation Firing Range of the Army Combat Training Centre in Ulu Tiram, Johor.
Yesterday, High Court judge Datuk Bhupindar Singh Gurcharan Singh Preet ordered the exhumation and second post-mortem on the remains of Syamsul Haris, which were buried at the Kampung Rinching Ulu Muslim cemetery in Semenyih on July 29.
The judge ordered the procedures to be conducted under the supervision of the inspector-general of police or his officers, who can seek assistance from the relevant parties if necessary.
In his second order, the judge said a forensic pathologist from Kuala Lumpur Hospital is to conduct the post-mortem within 14 days of the exhumation, in the presence of forensic expert Datuk Seri Dr Bhupinder Singh and Naran, both appointed by Ummu Haiman.
The third order is for the forensic pathologist conducting the post mortem to issue the report within a reasonable period from the date it is conducted, with a copy of the report to be given to Messrs Naran Singh and Co.
Bhupindar, however, made no order on the requests for a task force from the federal police to take over investigations into Syamsul’s death and an inquest into the cause of death.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
