SUBANG JAYA: The inquest into the death of fire fighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim was postponed today as the deputy public prosecutor Hamdan Hamzah had requested to visit the Emergency Medical Rescue Service (EMRS) van that was present during a riot outside the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya on Nov 27 last year.
Coroner Rofiah Mohammad then fixed for the proceeding to continue tomorrow where Professor Dr Shahrom Abdul Wahid, a retired pathologist from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital (HUKM) is expected to continue to give this statement.
However, Rofiah did not participate in the visit which was held at the Fire and Rescue Department Subang Jaya headquarters.
Hamdan arrived at about 11.30am and spent the whole day inspecting the vehicle for the second time after their initial visit on Feb 12.
He was accompanied by Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) forensic department head Dr Mohd Shah Mahmood and his colleague Dr Ahmad Hafizam Hasmi, who conducted the post-mortem and clinical examinations on Adib.
Also present during the visit were Syazlin Mansor, who represented the Housing and Local Government Ministry and the Fire and Rescue Department, an officer from HKL Forensic Department and Dr Shahrom.
As the visit is not part of the inquest proceeding, members of the media were only allowed to 15 minutes to take pictures of the vehicle.
Hamdan, when contacted, said the visit was made following the latest evidence gathered from the inquest, including findings by Dr Shahrom who suggested that Adib had been pulled out from his vehicle.
“We made the visit to reconfirm all the evidences presented in court, as we do not want to miss anything,” he said.
Earlier, Dr Mohd Shah and Dr Ahmad Hafizam testified that injuries sustained by Adib were not consistent with those resulting from being kicked or punched.
They also ruled out the possibility that Adib had been pulled out from the EMRS on the night of the incident as no bruises or marks were found on the left part of the deceased’s body.
However, Dr Shahrom, who later testified as the last witness of the inquest, said Adib had been pulled out from the vehicle and had been attacked by a mob which led to seven broken ribs.
He also believed that someone had kicked the EMRS door multiple times, causing Adib to sustain fractures on his right ribs and bruises on his right lung.
It was claimed that Adib, 24, died from severe injuries sustained after he was allegedly assaulted by rioters at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Subang Jaya on Nov 27.
He was part of an emergency response team dispatched to the scene to douse a vehicle which had been torched.
Despite showing signs of recovery while being treated at the National Heart Institute, Adib died on Dec 17.