Inquest into Adib’s death

Move follows clues found during post-mortem, says Muhyiddin

New clues have emerged from the post-mortem carried out on fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, who died after he was injured while on duty during riots at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple on Nov 27. Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin says there will now be an inquest to determine the exact cause of death.

PETALING JAYA: The Attorney General will order an inquest to determine the cause of fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s death after a post-mortem uncovered a “few clues”, says Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said Attorney General Tommy Thomas had told him this following a discussion on the latest developments of the case.

“He informed me that he will direct the magistrate to carry out an inquest to find out Muhammad Adib’s cause of death.

“He is doing so in his authority as the Public Prosecutor under Section 339 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

“The Office of the Public Prosecutor will apply to the courts to set the date for the hearing as soon as possible and will assist the magistrate in conducting the inquest,” Muhyiddin said in a statement yesterday.

The magistrate conducting the inquest will have wide powers under Section 328 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The section states that “the words ‘cause of death’ include not only the apparent cause of death as ascertainable by inspection or postmortem examination of the body of the deceased, but also all matters necessary to enable an opinion to be formed as to the manner in which the deceased came by his death and as to whether his death resulted in any way from, or was accelerated by, any unlawful act or omission on the part of any other person”.

The police, said Muhyiddin, had recorded statements from several persons of interest, while a re-enactment of the incident that led to Muhammad Adib’s injuries had also been carried out.

“The post-mortem conducted by the Forensic Unit also uncovered a few clues regarding the cause of death,” he said.

However, Muhyiddin did not elaborate on those clues.

Muhammad Adib, 24, of the Subang Jaya fire and rescue station, was seriously injured while on duty during riots at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple on Nov 27.

He was part of a team of nine firemen responding to a fire at the temple in USJ 25.

Although he initially showed signs of improvement during treatment at the National Heart Institute, his condition worsened and he suffered progressive deterioration of his lung function on Dec 16.

He passed away a day later. The case has since been reclassified as murder.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim has said police would question the four suspects who were earlier remanded for allegedly assaulting Muhammad Adib.

On Dec 24, Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin was reported as saying that the ministry had appointed a lawyer to hold a watching brief over the case.

Meanwhile, Association of NextGen Christians of Malaysia adviser Jason Leong said the association would be attending a special Firefighters Appreciation reception organised by the Fire and Rescue Department at its headquarters in Putrajaya today.

“This special reception will also honour Muhammad Adib as a hero. He displayed selfless courage when he rushed in to discharge his duty to protect lives and property as a result of fires caused by rioting near the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam temple in Subang on Nov 27,” he said in a statement.

The association said it considered attending the reception a privilege as it was held to honour firefighters and heroes who lost their life while on duty.