RK Anand (Malaysiakini)

A 22-year-old man charged with the murder of his mother was found dead in his cell at the Air Molek prison in Johor.

According to the authorities, J Saravanan (left) hanged himself using a pillow cover tied to a bar of his cell door.

However, his family have refused to believe that Saravanan would have taken his own life and suspect foul play.

Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) Johor coordinator Y Mohan told Malaysiakini that the family filed a police report on the incident this afternoon.

The report was filed by the deceased’s uncle K Selvaraj, 48, with the police beat located at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Bahru.

In his report, Selvaraj stated that the authorities informed him of Saravanan’s death at about 10pm last night.”I was told that he hanged himself. I do not believe this,” he said.

“My nephew who is a supermarket general worker was arrested on Oct 16 and detained at the Ulu Tiram police station up to Nov 11.

“From Nov 11 to Nov 15, within four days at the Air Molek prison, he is dead. How is this so?” he added.

‘Body covered with bruises’

Mohan said Selvaraj and his brother Chandran went to the mortuary around noon. Both of them are brothers of Saravanan’s mother.

“They saw the body covered with bruises and blue-black marks. So the family thinks that Saravanan could have been beaten and this could have led to his death,” he added.

Furthermore, he said the uncles were barred from taking photographs of the injuries by a doctor, who told them that it was against procedures.

Selvaraj had also mentioned the bruises in his police report.

“My nephew’s body was full of blue-black marks on his back (spine area), legs and hands as if he was beaten with a rotan, hit and punched. His right toe had bruises as well.

“I believe that my nephew was beaten and killed,” he alleged, pointing the finger at prison officers.

Saravanan was charged with murdering K Malilla (right), 47, using an iron rod at their home in Kampung MIC in Ulu Tiram.

He had also allegedly stuffed her remains inside a travel bag after the incident between 9.30am and 10.30am on Oct 5.