Over the past weekend, local social media was abuzz when news of a 69-year-old senior citizen being allegedly assaulted by a member of the Petaling Jaya City Council’s vector control unit made the headlines. The incident was first raised by local netizen Rekha Morgan, who claims to have witnessed the incident take place while driving on her way home last Wednesday (March 22nd, 2023).
69-year-old elderly man allegedly assaulted by MBPJ officer
At the time, she alleges that she spotted between six to seven members of the Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) vector control unit carrying out a dog catching operation. When the elderly man, who appeared to be the owner of the dogs, attempted to protect them from being captured, one of the officers was said to have hit him using his dog catching pole.
Despite being confronted over the use of undue violence against an otherwise helpless senior citizen, Rekha said that the officers merely told her this was the manner by which they carried out their duties, and told her to lodge a police report over it if she was unhappy.
Consequently, it was said that the victim sustained injuries to his cheek, jaw, and wrist. He has since filed a police report after the fact, and said that the officers did not identify themselves nor show proof of any warrants when they arrived at the scene.
Local authorities now investigating the victim
However, local authorities are now apparently opening an investigation into the victim’s involvement in the entire fiasco as well, after a report was lodged by one of the officers involved against him. Quoting a statement issued by the Royal Malaysian Police, local newspaper The New Straits Times reports that the case is now being probed under Section 323 of the Penal Code for causing injury and Section 186 for preventing a public servant from performing his duties.
Petaling Jaya district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid confirmed that the incident occurred in Taman Kanagapuram, and explained that the dog catching operation was carried out following complaints from members of the public.
“While the operation was carried out, there was a local man trying to protect the wild dogs by bringing in the said animals into his premises.”
“The complainant and his team tried to prevent the man from closing the door to his premises but failed to do so,” he said.
In the middle of the physical altercation, it was claimed that the officer accidentally hit the 69-year-old man with his dog catching pole.
Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chun has since demanded for MBPJ to explain the conduct of their officers, and hopes that a transparent investigation will be carried out over the matter.
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