Allegations of women who were detained and mistreated in a KL police lockup after a raid on the music venue Rumah Api on 28 August shows that the abuse of power amongst policemen, whether on the road or in the police station still remains a malignant dark force against their creed to protection detainees, particularly women who are remanded in the police stations.
In the case of the Rumah Api arrests, women who were menstruating were alleged to have been in a compromising situation where they were made to use their sanitary napkins without underwear, and instructed to change their soiled sanitary napkins in the presence of a female police officer.
This allegation must have certainly bruised his ego as it was no surprise that the Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar instantaneously jumped and defended the police officers that the allegations were lies aimed to tarnish the image of the Royal Malaysian Police. As the country’s top cop, it is appalling that his statement comes after a mere ‘checking’ with the police personnel.
Up to now, there has not been single squeak on the mistreatment of these women if it will be investigated or not.
How then please, Mr IGP, did you come to such a boisterous claim that the allegation was to tarnish the image of the police in the eyes of the public without an investigation?
If so, can the rakyat assume that the IGP’s remark was to protect police officers who have violated their code of conduct and have abused their power as defenders of the law and protectors of the people.
Perhaps the IGP is suffering from gross selective amnesia as over the years there has been numerous cases of cops being charged with rape, sodomy, blackmail and extortion either in the police station or outside.
In 2012, 3 cops had raped an Indonesian women at the Prai police barracks and performed carnal intercourse against the order of nature. They were charged in 2015. The Indonesian woman was 25.
In 2014, a senior Malaysian cop aged 54 was charged with rape and sodomy of a 13 year old girl in a hotel room.
In February 2015 two policemen attached to the Kota Damansara Police Station were charged with rape, performing oral sex and extorting money from a private college student. The victim was 19 years old. She was threatened and blackmailed with arrests by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department if she did not comply with their demands.
In May 2015, a 21 year old girl was threatened and blackmailed with rape by a plainclothes police officer at the Dang Wangi Police Station. Imagine being asked by a man of authority and power “kau nak aku rogol kau?” (do you want me to rape you?)
And most recently, in May 2015, Rohingya women who were held at human-trafficking camps in Thailand and Malaysia were subjected to gang rape by their captors. Witnesses claimed that rapes were often seen and heard even on the Malaysian border as well.
The reality is that it is not beneath some of our men in blue to behave in such a thuggish, sickening manner in the presence of women detainees. These crude vulgar acts must be thoroughly investigated and the perpetrator charged with a heavy sentence and condemned openly by the IGP, the Home Minister and the Prime Minister as well. However men like these do not speak for the many other honourable, self respecting policemen and policewomen who strive hard to serve and protect this country and her people.
An open, transparent and thorough investigation must be carried out on the incident of the women who were forced to change their sanitary napkins in front of a female police officer so that public confidence in the police force is returned.
IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar must step up and immediately conduct an investigation on allegations of women instructed to change their sanitary pads in front of police officers instead of defensively brushing it aside crying mala fide.
Wanita DAP stand in solidarity with all the women who had been mistreated in the Rumah Api arrest and press on for an open investigation to prove that the incident did not take place rather than just asking around. Violation of a detainees rights is no laughing matter and the IGP must treat it in the same way he is treating the case of the “photo stomp”.
By hastily claiming that the allegations are lies WITHOUT an investigation will only result in a bloodied foot from a premature shot.