Anwar stressed that while he does not interfere in investigations into deaths in custody or police shootings, he would be concerned if rules were said to be broken.
“I have instructed the Inspector-General of Police (Khalid Ismail) to carry out a transparent investigation and not to protect anyone.
“We do not protect criminals, and we also do not protect actions, including those by the police, that go against the rule of law.
“Although we welcome the police’s firmness in taking action against criminals and those who break the law, several complaints regarding matters that contradict established processes and procedures should be investigated transparently and openly,” he said after Friday prayers at the Cyberjaya 10 mosque, Buletin TV3 reported.
Anwar said Khalid has been instructed to submit a detailed report to home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail once the police conclude their investigation.
Melaka police initially investigated the Nov 24 incident for attempted murder under Section 307 of the Penal Code, after police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar claimed the trio were serial robbers who had attacked an officer with a parang.
However, lawyers representing the families of the three men – M Puspanathan, 21, T Poovaneswaran, 24, and G Logeswaran, 29 – said an audio recording and forensic evidence suggested that the men were killed “execution-style”.
Bukit Aman’s criminal investigation department has since taken over the case after receiving a police report from the men’s families.
The Malaysian Bar yesterday called for a transparent probe after stating that the existence of conflicting narratives in the incident was troubling.
Bar president Ezri Abdul Wahab said there had been numerous cases in which judicial scrutiny had unearthed contradictions in the police’s explanation of events, adding that these instances had contributed to a “persistent trust deficit” that could not be ignored.
MIC deputy president M Saravanan also said yesterday he had sent Anwar a letter calling for an independent commission of inquiry into the shooting and examine the evidence fairly.
Saravanan said the commission must be given full powers to review forensic evidence, the audio recording, and police SOPs, and that its findings should be made public.