Two lawyers have sharply criticised Malacca police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar for his recent comments on public attire at police stations, accusing him of diverting attention from serious misconduct allegations.
In a strongly worded statement, lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh Sohanpal said Dzulkhairi “has no business commenting on people’s clothing” when his department is facing unresolved questions over the fatal shooting of three men in Durian Tunggal.
They questioned why the police chief was vocal about dress codes but silent on what families claim was the unlawful killing of three Indian men.
“Where is his outrage for this? Where is his response?” they asked, noting that the families have produced evidence suggesting the victims were in police custody for more than 10 minutes before being shot — contradicting the official version offered by Dzulkhairi on Nov 24.
Dzulkhairi had defended his officers’ actions, saying police opened fire only after one suspect swung a machete at them at a palm oil estate. The families’ lawyers rejected this narrative entirely.
Instead of responding to the serious allegations, they said, the police chief chose to publicly address how the public should dress when lodging reports. This followed an incident in which a woman and her daughter were barred from entering the Jasin district police headquarters because the woman’s skirt ended slightly above the knee.
The lawyers argued that such arbitrary dress rules undermine confidence in the police and hinder public access to justice.
Meanwhile, National Unity Advisory Council member Tajuddin Rasdi called for public institutions to provide robes—similar to those found in mosques—for visitors who may not meet dress codes. He stressed that public servants exist to serve citizens and should never deny services based on attire.
Tajuddin added that even if robes are unavailable, urgent or essential services must always override dress code concerns.
