DAP MP M Kulasegaran has questioned why police did not immediately classify the fatal shooting of three men in Durian Tunggal, Melaka, as a murder investigation.
The deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (law and institutional reform) said both the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) should explain under which legal provision the case was initially investigated, and the rationale for not opening a murder probe from the outset.
Kulasegaran welcomed the AGC’s decision to agree with Bukit Aman’s recommendation to reclassify the case as murder, but said the move raised further questions that must be addressed.
“Under what provision was the investigation originally classified, and why was a murder investigation not initiated at the beginning?” he said in a statement.
He stressed that while the reclassification was a positive step, maintaining public confidence in law enforcement required investigations to be carried out promptly, transparently and thoroughly.
The Ipoh Barat MP also urged police to expedite the murder investigation to ensure that evidence is properly secured and witness statements are recorded while details remain fresh.
Kulasegaran said the findings of the probe would have significant implications for public trust in the authorities and their ability to protect the rights of vulnerable groups.
“The families of those who were shot must be assured that the investigation will uncover the truth. The rule of law must be upheld,” he said.
The three men were shot dead by Melaka police, who said they were serial robbery suspects who had attacked an officer with a parang. The incident was initially investigated as attempted murder.
However, lawyers representing the families of M Puspanathan, 21, T Poovaneswaran, 24, and G Logeswaran, 29, claimed that audio recordings and forensic findings indicate the men were killed in an “execution-style” manner, prompting calls for a full murder investigation.
