GEORGE TOWN – Heads must roll, said Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto, after a girl was allegedly raped while being detained at a Sarawak police lock-up.
It is horrifying as there is no place for a child in a police lock-up, said the DAP leader in a statement today.
“The team that conducted the (gambling) raid should have known that, as it ought to be in the SOP when detaining children. How did the rapist manage to get access to the victim and force himself on her?
“Didn’t the officer on duty notice that one person was missing from his cell? Did they not hear any sound at that time?
“Were there CCTVs in the lock-up, as pledged time and time again by the many inspectors-general of police and home ministers that all police lock-ups will be equipped with functioning CCTVs?
“To the prime minister, home minister, inspector-general of police, and Sarawak police chief – if heads do not roll over this incident, then you have failed to safeguard the life of a child, a 16-year-old girl who was raped by the same people who should have been her protectors.”
Police are investigating the teenager’s claim that she was raped by a male detainee at the Miri station lock-up on January 9.
Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Aidi Ismail gave his assurance that a thorough investigation will be conducted to determine whether there are elements of negligence in the case.
“Two police personnel on duty on the day that the incident allegedly took place have been immediately suspended,” he told Bernama last night.
Senator Alan Ling Sie Kiong, in a Facebook post yesterday, said the girl has lodged a police report on the incident.
Kasthuri said her worst fears have been confirmed, as amid the Covid-19 pandemic, incidents of violence against women, especially sexual violations, have increased.
“Such cases tend to fall through the cracks as all attention is naturally on (Covid-19) clusters and infections.
“A 16-year-old girl’s life is shattered because of this abuse.”
The rape of a minor held in a police lock-up should have rocked the nation, she said. – The Vibes, January 17, 2021
