I was heartbroken, says witness who helped Adib

SHAH ALAM: Emotions ran high during the inquest into the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim as the ninth witness, R. Narresh, testified that he was saddened by the incident that occurred in front of the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya on Nov 27.

The 30-year-old technician said the attack on Adib was uncalled for as firefighters had come to do their job, which was to rescue people and put out the fire.

He said he was sad that he did not get the chance to meet Adib after the incident as the latter died at the National Heart Institute (IJN) a month after the incident.

Narresh, a volunteer with the Civil Defence Force, was the one who took Adib to Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) after the incident.

In his testimony before coroner Rofiah Mohamad, he said he did not blame anyone, but what happened to Adib was not fair and he did not deserve it.

“They (firemen) were there to put out the fire. You do not have to attack them.

“It is their job to help people, but who is going to help them if they are in need?

“I think as Malaysians, we need to help people in need and respect each other.

“If we had left him (Adib) unattended by the roadside, I do not think he could have made it to the hospital or survived another month,” he told Adib’s family lawyer, Ahmad Taufiq Baharum.

Narresh, who tried to hold back his tears, said Adib’s death had left him heartbroken as he did not have the chance to meet him after the incident or attend the funeral in Kedah.

“As soon as I heard the news (about Adib’s death), I went to Kuala Lumpur Sentral and took a train to Kedah before switching to a bus heading for his village to attend the funeral.

“I arrived in Kampung Tebengau after telling the driver the name of the mosque where Adib’s funeral prayers were held.

“However, it was too late as I took more than 12 hours to reach Adib’s hometown,” he said, adding that the villagers were staring at him when he arrived at the mosque.

Before he finished his testimony, he told the court that he was frustrated by comments from Netizens who made accusations against him as a witness to the incident.

“I do not blame anyone. I fulfilled my responsibility as a Malaysian — to help people in need.

“They threatened me on social media.

“I am sad,” Narresh said, adding that one of his friends, Suresh, who was also at the scene of the incident, hesitated to assist in the probe.

He said Suresh feared for his safety but he convinced him that police were trying to seek justice for Adib and not blaming anyone involved in the temple riot.

“I told him to give a statement to the police as we were there and saw what happened.

“We needed to help the authorities get to the bottom of Adib’s death.”

Adib, 24, died of severe injuries after he was allegedly assaulted by rioters at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya.

He had been part of an emergency response team dispatched to the scene to put out a vehicle fire.

Despite showing signs of recovery while receiving treatment at IJN, Adib died on Dec 17.