FEDERAL Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel did not disperse rioters at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple last November as they did not receive orders to do so.

Assistant Superintendent Shuhaimi Yaakub today told the inquest into the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim that he was unable to contact the Subang Jaya police chief for further instructions on the night of November 27.

The 21st witness in the inquest, held at the Shah Alam coroners’ court, was explaining why his unit did not move in to stop the mob despite seeing the crowd approaching two Fire and Rescue Department vehicles.

Shuhaimi, the officer in charge of the 1A FRU unit in Cheras, said he was following standard operating procedures based on the public order manual, which states that FRU is to assist district police.

He said he saw the two vehicles reversing and discussed with other FRU troop leaders before trying to contact the Subang Jaya police chief.

He told coroner Rofiah Mohamad that he was unable to reach police to get further instructions.

“We could not reach the police chief at the time, when we saw the fire vehicles backing up and a mob approaching them.”

He said he saw some 5,000 people gathered outside the temple, many shouting, “but I could not understand what they were saying”.

“We should have been briefed or given specific orders, whether to take action or remain on standby. And, the order that night was to be on standby, with no other instructions when we got there.”

The huge crowd was difficult for two groups of FRU personnel to handle, he said.

“We could not handle the crowd that night because we were short of manpower. Some officers were on leave,” he said, adding that one FRU group can handle 1,000 people.

Shuhaimi said the unit can use force only as a last resort, as per the Police Act 1967.

Syazlin Mansor, the lawyer representing the Housing and Local Government Ministry and Fire and Rescue Department, asked if he would have still waited for orders if his men had come under attack.

He said no.

“If we were attacked, and it endangered my men, we would take action against the attackers, but we would still have to follow the protocol and inform our superiors.”

The coroners’ court also heard from the 22nd witness, security firm manager Hardeep Singh, 29, who said he was the one who filmed the mob hitting the reversing fire vehicles.

The government called the inquest following conflicting claims on the cause of Adib’s death.

The 24-year-old firefighter was part of the Emergency Medical Rescue Services deployed from the Subang Jaya fire station to the temple.

He is said to have been attacked by rioters.

Adib succumbed to injuries on December 17 at the National Heart Institute.

Medical witnesses said he died due to multiple organ failure.

Today was day 14 of the inquest. It continues tomorrow with Adib’s family taking the stand. – March 20, 2019.