Suaram, the NGO which is handling the case, said the man, identified as Roopan Karnagaran, had no prior health issues.

In a press conference today to submit a memorandum over the incident to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy said this is the 12th custodial death in 2021.

Parti Sosialis Malaysia central committee member S Arulchelvan said Roopan was detained over involvement in a triple-murder at his neighbour’s house in Dengkil in 2013, when he was 17.

Police said his DNA was found at the crime scene. He was convicted of the crime four years later in 2017 when he was 21. He had appealed against the conviction, maintaining his innocence.

Roopan was held in prison while waiting for his appeal, set for June 29, 2021, but on June 17, he complained of breathing difficulties and was admitted to Kajang Hospital.

He was treated and discharged and brought back to prison. He reportedly died on June 21, eight days before the hearing.

Suaram alleged that the prison authorities were attempting to cover up the death, based on their police report stating that Roopan did not die on the prison grounds. The police report said he had died on the way to hospital.

The family, meanwhile, has lodged three police reports on the incident.

His family’s lawyer has also submitted a request for an inquest into his death to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).

According to the lawyer, the AGC had instructed its officers to look into whether a file on a sudden death report was opened, and if there was one, to see if an inquest could be held.

Arulchelvan said the family was not informed that Roopan was facing health complications, or that he had been admitted to the hospital. They were also kept in the dark about him being discharged and whether or not he had fully recovered.

Based on post-mortem results, Arulchelvan said Roopan had died of blood clotting in the leg.

Roopan’s uncle K Sevakumar said the hospital had informed the family that he had tested negative for Covid-19 and would be treated with antibiotics for five days at a non-Covid-19 ward.

He said they also received information from inside the prison that Roopan had been complaining of breathing problems a week before finally getting admitted.

After he died, the family then received news from the prison authorities that he was actually positive for Covid-19, although the hospital had informed them he had tested negative.

Because of this, they were unable to view the state of his body.

According to Suaram’s memorandum to Suhakam, the prison had hidden the fact that Roopan was brought to hospital when the family contacted them on June 17.

He was also allegedly abused when he initially asked to be treated for his condition.

The memorandum also stated that information from whistleblowers suggested Roopan was placed in a “bilik insaf” or the prison’s rehabilitation room (usually for inmates who committed disciplinary offences) after getting discharged from the Kajang Hospital, instead of getting transferred to the prison hospital for sick inmates.

The day after, Roopan was seen being carried out of the room to be brought to the hospital again. This time, he was reportedly unconscious and believed to have died.

Suhakam commissioner Madeline Berma said the commission would be conducting an impartial investigation into the death.

She also expressed concern that there had been 12 reported custodial death cases this year alone, fearing that this may not be the last.

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