MP questions why police classified Cheras lock-up death as grievous hurt, not murder
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 — DAP lawmaker RSN Rayer today called on the police to explain why the investigation into the...
On October 28, DAP lawmaker RSN Rayer questioned why the police classified the death of Noorizwan Zulkefly in Cheras lock-up as grievous hurt rather than murder. Rayer pointed to news reports quoting Bukit Aman CID director Datuk M Kumar, who explained that the death-in-detention case is investigated under Section 331 of the Penal Code.
This section deals with voluntarily causing grievous hurt to extort a confession or force the restoration of property. Rayer expressed his disagreement with the police's decision, asserting that the case should instead be classified under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which pertains to murder. He made this statement during a press conference at the Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur.
Noorizwan, 42, died on October 1 while in detention at the Cheras district police headquarters lock-up. Reports suggest Noorizwan sustained nearly two dozen severe injuries, as indicated by preliminary postmortem findings. Bukit Aman classified the case under Section 331 following statements from a forensic medical consultant at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, who conducted the postmortem examination.
The consultant noted signs of external injuries on various parts of the deceased's body, suggesting blunt-force trauma and deeming it not self-inflicted. The case has garnered national attention, reigniting public scrutiny on the government's commitment to reform detention procedures and prevent custodial deaths. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail addressed Parliament on the matter, vowing transparency in the investigation and punishment for those involved.
However, Rayer expressed concern over the authorities' failure to disclose the identities of the officers who interrogated Noorizwan and whether they had been suspended. He emphasized that the authorities must answer these questions and provide names of the officers involved, rather than merely repeating statements that the case is under investigation.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
