Even as the police denied that its men had assaulted students at a peaceful gathering calling for the repeal of the Universities and University Colleges Act on January 1, a video clip has emerged on YouTube showing a student leader floored and surrounded.
The 54-second clip shows a protester, which the sender identified Safwan Anang Talib, the deputy president of Pan-Malaysian Coalition of Islamic Undergraduates (GAMIS) who suffered serious injuries on his head and a broken rib.
Alongside other students, Safwan was said to be kicked and stomped by several policemen, resulting in his rib and several of his teeth broken. One eyewitness had said that eight police officers took turns to assault Safwan.
Safwan, who also heads the Movement to Reclaim Academic Freedom (BEBAS), a students coalition formed to oppose the UUCA, also suffered injuries on his head and was rushed to the Slim River Hospital.
Perak police chief Mohd Shukri Dahlan yesterday said the allegations of police brutality were untrue. However, Shukri's denial had more to do with the type of police personnel who were at the scene, saying there were no Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) at the protest.
"During the gathering, there was no FRU personnel on duty but only policemen from the Tanjung Malim Police Contingent Headquarters," he said.
He also said Safwan and another student injured in the incident, Amar Rasyidi, had been hurt due to the stampede caused by students.
Some 100 police personnel had moved in to violently disperse the gathering held at the Sultan Idris Teaching University in Tanjung Malim on New Year's eve. The incident was met with outrage from political leaders and student bodies.
The National Association of Malaysian Muslim Students (PKPIM) had described the crackdown as reflecting the vast powers accorded to the police under the controversially-passed Peaceful Assembly Act.
