Cops also investigating if Adib was hit by fire truck

The Malaysian Insight The Malaysian Insight Updated 7 years ago · Published on 7 Feb 2019 11:00AM · 2 Comments

Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, 24, was attached to the Subang Jaya fire station in Selangor and was part of the team sent to the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple following riots there in November. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, February 7, 2019.

AHEAD of an inquest next week, sources revealed that police are investigating two possibilities in the death of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim.

One was that he was beaten by a mob and the other, he was run over by a reversing fire engine.

Sources told The Malaysian Insight police questioned at least three firemen, including the driver of the fire truck who allegedly reversed into Adib while trying to escape a mob at the height of the riots at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya, Selangor, last November.

“From the autopsy report, there are two possibilities that might have caused his death. One, he was rammed by the fire engine and the other was that he assaulted by a group of people at the scene,” a source said.

“The inquest will answer these two possibilities,” the source said.

The inquest begins next Monday for 30 working days.

Lawyer for Adib’s family, Mohd Kamaruzaman A Wahab, said 30 witnesses will be called, including several firemen. 

The inquest will be led by deputy public prosecutor Hamdan Hamzah, who will call six expert witnesses, including doctors who attended to Adib’s injuries and a forensics specialist, who carried out the post-mortem.

More than 100 suspects were arrested over the rioting at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple last November but no one has been charged with the murder of a young fireman at the time. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, February 7, 2019.

Social media were abuzz with the two theories on how the young fireman sustained the severe injuries which led to his death.

A police report was lodged by Adib’s colleagues, who claimed that the fireman was pulled out of his emergency van and assaulted by a mob. 

Temple officials, however, later held a press conference and said Adib was mowed down by the reversing fire engine.

Four suspects were remanded in the early stage of the investigation but later released on bail.

Kedah-born Adib was the sole fatality in the riots that erupted after intruders stormed the Hindu temple on November 26.

Adib was one of nine responders in the Subang Jaya Emergency Medical Rescue Services unit deployed to the scene after a mob set fire to several vehicles.

He was found lying unconscious on the road by passers-by who took him to the Ramsay Sime Darby Medical Centre. 

Despite regaining consciousness later and showing some signs of recovery, Adib’s lung functions deteriorated and he succumbed to the injuries on December 17, three weeks after he was hospitalised. – February 7, 2019.

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Comments

  • We figured this out a long time ago. Not the bloodthirsty narrative that both Berstau, PAS and UMNO were spouting. I wonder what all these three parties have in common?

    Posted 7 years ago by Arul Inthirarajah · Reply

  • From the autopsy report, there are two possibilities that might have caused his death. One, he was rammed by the fire engine and the other was that he assaulted by a group of people at the scene.
    It's odd that the autopsy report could not differentiate between injuries caused by a mob attack and those from being rammed by a vehicle. Surely there must be noticeable differences between injuries caused by a mob attack and those resulting from being rammed by a heavy vehicle. Why is the police just beginning its investigation? If no inquest had been ordered, would the police have used the autopsy report to charge people with murder? What if the police findings differ from the inquest findings?

    Posted 7 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply