M. INDIRA Gandhi has urged the police to focus on finding her long-missing daughter instead of seeking Interpol’s help in tracking down stand-up comedian Jocelyn Chia.

Indira, a former kindergarten teacher who is now a tutor, criticised Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani over his announcement that police were seeking Interpol’s help to locate US-based Chia for insulting Malaysians in her stand-up routine at the Comedy Cellar in New York, the United States.

Indira alleged that the IGP was not showing the same interest in locating her daughter Prasana Diksa or her Muslim convert ex-husband Muhammad Riduan Abdullah, who is still on the run.

“I feel utterly disappointed and frustrated with the IGP’s statement,” Indira told The Malaysian Insight.

“I have been fighting this case for 14 years now, and the police know that this is a high-profile case, but they continue to ignore it.

“I’m not asking the police to favour me in this case, but we have rightfully gone through all legal avenues and still they are not doing anything about this.

“If the Chia issue is so big for him until he is seeking Interpol’s help, what about my daughter who has been missing for 14 years? We don’t even know if she is alive or not.”

On Tuesday, Acryl Sani said the police would seek Interpol’s help to track down former Singaporean Chia for running down Malaysia using a US platform.

According to reports, the IGP said an application would be filed with Interpol to obtain Chia’s identity and latest location.

Chia’s video mocking Malaysia in a recent comedy show titled “Singapore vs Malaysia” had gone viral.

The lawyer-turned-comedian’s satire dwelled on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that went missing on March 8, 2014, as well as the state of development in Malaysia.

Indira said it was shambolic that the police were unable to trace her daughter.

“It has been a mockery. Acryl Sani is the sixth IGP now on my case and several governments have changed but none could locate my daughter.

“The current IGP shows so much interest in a comedy sketch, but he has failed in my case so far.”

Indira’s ex-husband K. Padmanathan, who has converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Riduan, snatched Prasana from Indira  when she was just 11 months old.

Riduan converted Prasana and her two older siblings to Islam without Indira’s knowledge.

In 2018, in a landmark ruling, the Federal Court quashed the unilateral conversion of the children and gave custody of Prasana to her mother.

However, the police have not been able to find the girl and her father, for whom there is an arrest warrant.

Despite her case setting a precedent for similar conversion cases in Malaysia, Prasana continues to be denied a mother’s care and her right to grow up as a Hindu.

‘Populist stand’

Indira Gandhi Action Team chairman Arun Dorasamy also questioned the IGP’s priorities.

“There are pressing issues (in our country), but the IGP is trying to take a populist stand on a matter he can’t do anything about,” Arun told The Malaysian Insight.

“This is a populist statement (from the IGP) that bears no weight. He is playing this issue to a domestic audience, trying to show that they are working.

“Since this is a trending matter, probably the IGP is jumping on the bandwagon here. It only adds to the tasteless comedy that was earlier made by Chia.”

Arun claimed that Acryl Sani has not uttered a single word on Indira’s case since taking over the top cop’s role in 2021.

“This shows that the police are not interested in doing their job. There is no intention,” he said.

“It also shows that this particular IGP is ignorant about this (Indira’s) case. Indira’s case is definitely not on top of his priorities.”

Indira has filed a civil suit, citing police inaction in executing the warrant against Riduan. She is seeking damages and a declaration that the IGP had committed tort of nonfeasance in public office.

Last year, the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by the IGP, police, Home Ministry and the government to strike out the nonfeasance lawsuit filed against them by Indira. – June 15, 2023.