SHAH ALAM: The Coroner’s Court today established that firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim died after he was assaulted by two or three unidentified people during a riot in the vicinity of a Hindu temple in Subang Jaya last year.
Coroner Rofiah Mohamad, who had led a 41-day inquest to determine the cause of Muhammad Adib’s death, said: “The blunt chest trauma that led to the death of Muhammad Adib was not of his own doing but the impact of the criminal acts by more than two individuals.”
She also said that the testimony of witnesses at the scene, the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in USJ 25, Subang Jaya, also indicated that there had been an assault on someone in the area where about 20 to 30 people had gathered.
Rofiah said the court accepted the testimony of the 29th witness, United Kingdom-based senior consultant forensic pathologist Prof Dr Shahrom Abd Wahid, who said that Muhammad Adib, 24, was beaten and dragged out of a Fire & Rescue Department van.
She also concluded that the failure of the police and the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel in controlling the riot also contributed to the death of Muhammad Adib.
Rofiah said the court accepted the theory presented by Prof Dr Shahrom that Muhammad Adib was injured after he was pinned to the door of the Emergency Services Assistance Unit (EMRS) van, which was forcibly kicked by the rioters.
She said the witness also told the court that Muhammad Adib was dragged out of the van and before the rioters kicked the EMRS van door again that hit the victim’s hand causing him to sustain scrape wound.
“As such, the theory that Muhammad Adib was thrown out as presented by the 24th witness Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi is completely rejected,” she said.
Rofiah said the court will now leave it to the Royal Malaysian Police and the Attorney-General to proceed with the investigation and prosecution.
Muhammad Adib, who was a member of the EMRS Unit of the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Station, was seriously injured during a riot outside the temple on Nov 27 last year before succumbing to his injuries on Dec 17 at the National Heart Institute.
Thirty witnesses including several experts were called to testify in the proceeding which began on Feb 11.
Among the expert witnesses called were Kuala Lumpur Hospital forensic specialist Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre and Prof Dr Shahrom.
A total of 137 exhibits were submitted with various arguments raised by the parties involved before the proceeding came to a close on July 24.
Deputy public prosecutor Faten Hadni Khairuddin acted as the coordinating officer in the inquest while Muhammad Adib’s family was represented by a panel of lawyers comprising Syazlin Mansor, Mohd Kamaruzaman Abdul Wahab, Ahmad Taufiq Baharum, Yahaya Othman and Zamri Ibrahim.
Senior federal counsels, namely Suzana Atan and Mazlifah Ayob from the Attorney’s General Chamber were appointed to represent the Housing and Local Government Ministry and the Fire and Rescue Department. – Bernama
