FIREMAN Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim had indicated to his chief on two occasions that he was pulled out of his emergency vehicle and beaten during the Sri Maha Mariamman temple riots last November. 

Subang Jaya fire station chief Syed Shahril Anuar Syed Sulaiman, the 18th witness called on the 11th day of the inquest into the fireman’s death, told the coroner’s court today that Adib had indicated to him twice that he was pulled and beaten with objects.

Shahril said Adib first told him he was beaten when he had gone to visit the fireman at the National Heart Institute’s (IJN) intensive care unit on December 5. 

“I asked him if I could ask a few questions and he nodded, signalling ‘yes’,” Shahril said.

“I asked him ‘Adib, were you hit (kena pukul)’ and he nodded. Then I asked him again, ‘are you sure? (betul?)’ and he nodded again.

“I then asked, ‘were you pulled’, to which he nodded again and made a pulling motion with his left hand to his left shoulder near his chest.”

Shahril then told the court that he gave Adib 15 questions on paper when he went to see the fireman for the second time on December 12, after conferring with Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Azmi Osman. 

“When I heard that he was communicating by writing on a whiteboard, I prepared these questions about the riots so he could write down the answers,” he told coroner Rofiah Mohamad Mansor. 

Shahril said he gave Adib 15 questions. Each question was followed by two boxes to indicate “true” or “false”.

“I asked him if they (rioters) opened the door when the EMRS (Emergency Medical Rescue Services) van was backing up? He nodded yes and also ticked ‘yes’ on the paper.

“The second question was: did you try to stop the door from opening? He nodded and also ticked ‘yes’ on the paper.

“Did they manage to open the EMRS van door? He ticked ‘yes’.

“Was Adib pulled out? He ticked ‘yes’ and nodded.”

He then gave Adib some multiple choice questions. 

“I asked: if you were pulled, where did they pull you? The arm, shoulder or chest? He initially motioned to his shoulder and ticked ‘shoulder’, but later indicated he could not remember but he made a pulling motion to his shoulder,” Shahril said.

“What did you feel when they opened the door? I gave him three options: scared, panicked or stressed. He ticked ‘stressed’.”

When asked if he had fallen and got beaten, Shahril said Adib motioned with his hands that he did not remember.

“I then asked him whether he was pulled and beaten. He motioned with his hands that he didn’t remember. I asked if he fell after he was pulled; he gave the same response.”

When asked if he was aware he had been beaten, Shahril said Adib motioned that he did not know. 

“He ticked ‘yes’ when I asked him if he had been hit by objects,” Shahril said.

Adib was then asked if he remembered the objects used, to which he ticked “no”.

“I then gave him objects to choose from, which were sticks, stones, metal rods or others; he ticked ‘others’.”

He told the court these were his own questions as he wanted to get to the bottom of what occurred. 

The fire chief added he was only informed of Adib’s death during a press conference the night the fireman died. 

The inquest continues tomorrow at 10.30am. – February 27, 2019.