Senior citizen to be charged for obstructing duties

PETALING JAYA - The senior citizen who was allegedly beaten by Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) officers during an operation to catch stray dogs last week, will be charged in court on Friday.

Confirming this, Petaling Jaya district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid said the 69-year-old would be charged at the magistrate's court here under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public servant in the discharge of his or her public functions.

"We have received orders to arrest the accused man under Section 186 of the Penal Code for the offence of stopping public servants from carrying out their duties," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

It was reported that the police had opened an investigation into the scuffle involving MBPJ enforcement officers and the man at Taman Kanagapuram last week.

Fakhrudin said that the man did not cooperate during the dog-catching operation, which resulted in the tussle between the officers and the man.

The man was also hit with a catching pole.

"MBPJ officers were unable to carry out their duties to catch the stray dogs," he said. Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung urged MBPJ to provide an explanation for the officers' actions in the incident.

In a letter issued to the MBPJ Integrity Unit, he has also asked for an explanation of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) used by MBPJ during dog-catching operations.