After yet another death in custody in Bentong, group calls for immediate inquest

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — Human rights group Eliminating Deaths and Abuse In Custody Together (Edict) has urged the Attorney-General’s Chambers today to hold an inquest after yet another death in custody yesterday in Bentong, Pahang.

The group said the family members of the deceased, who died while in Bentong Prison, were told by the Prison Department that the death was caused by a seizure.

“We’re aggrieved with this news as the inquest on another case, that of Jestus Kevin's death last April in the Bentong police lock-up, has not even be held yet,” EDICT said in the statement.

It also said that the police and the Prison Department must respect the rights and powers of the Coroner Court as stipulated in Section 334 of the Criminal Procedure Code, where every death that occurs in lockups, prisons and mental hospitals must be handed over to the coroner for immediate investigation.

Jestus was arrested on April 2 for alleged theft and found dead on April 5 after experiencing breathing difficulties.

Besides Jestus’ case in April, Mariappan Manivannan, 24, also died in Bentong Prison in 2018, with the post-mortem saying he died of severe acute gastroenteritis, triggering a police investigation.