I only vaguely remember the Sauk incident, in which 2 people were killed including Sergeant Sagadevan. I was following the situation just like any other Malaysians, watching the news and reading newspapers.
Heroes in blue: We are very proud of him, says family
Sergeant R. Sagadevan died in the line of duty. (NST)
THE late Sagadevan was a man who placed his job above everything else, including his own family.
“He was a workaholic in every sense of the word. Even when he was sick, he would still report for duty. “I remember him saying that he was willing to sacrifice his life in the line of duty, which he eventually did,” said S. Malligarani of her late husband, when met at her house.
With tears brimming in her eyes, the 52-year-old said the recognition given to Sagadevan, or Devan as he was fondly known, was timely as this would encourage other policemen to display the same courage and dedication. “I am very proud of him being hailed as one of the 38 heroes in the police force. At least, he did not die in vain,” she said.
The couple have five children between the ages of 21 and 32. Two of them have decided to follow their father’s footsteps. S. Baladevan, 28, is now an inspector with the Sungai Besar police station in Selangor. “I am touched by the kind gesture from the force in recognising my father’s contribution,” he said.
Younger brother Kumarthevan, 21, who has just had a successful interview looks set to join the police force as a constable. “Almost everybody in the force seems to know my father. They say they have a lot of respect for him. “I thank them for their kind words but they should judge me based on my own capabilities,” Baladevan said.
Heroes in blue: Courage of a few saved the day
By : FADHAL A. GHANI and HUSAIRY OTHMAN
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There have been many heroes in the police force’s 201-year history. But the bravery and dedication of 38 policemen stand out and they were duly acknowledged in a book ‘Warisan Perjuangan Perwira – Sang Saka Biru’. We start today a series on the exploits of each of the honoured policemen, beginning with the three who played a vital role in ending the four-day Sauk siege in Kuala Kangsar in 2000. Below are their stories. Reports by FADHAL A. GHANI and HUSAIRY OTHMAN.
SPECIAL Branch detective Sergeant R. Sagadevan received instructions about 9.30am on July 3, 2000 to investigate complaints of gunshots being heard behind a school in Sauk, Kuala Kangsar.
That turned out to be his last assignment as two days later, Sagadevan was shot twice in the head after he was tortured on Bukit Jenalik.
Intelligence reports that came out after investigations were chilling, especially when the torture methods were revealed. Among them was how Sagadevan was tied to a tree and had durians thrown at him.
The 49-year-old policeman from Kuala Kangsar suffered a slow and painful death because he refused to divulge operational secrets to the 29-man Al-Ma’unah group, which was holed up on the hilltop in a four-day standoff with security forces in an incident which had transfixed the nation.
The group, made up of silat exponents and who also dabbled in mystical practices, had on July 2, raided two army camps in Grik and stole a large cache of weapons.
They then made their way to Bukit Jenalik for final preparations on their grand plan to overthrow the government by force to set up an Islamic state.
The standoff between Al-Ma’unah and security forces was under way when Sagadevan was told to scout the area and come back with information to help security forces storm the hill and capture the militants.
When he did not return several hours later, another Special Branch officer, Sergeant Mohd Shah Ahmad, was sent to look for him. He was also caught.
Before the two policemen were caught, the militants had got hold of a local villager, Jaafar Puteh, who was on the hillside collecting durians. They thought he was a policeman.
The fourth hostage was army commando Corporal Mathew Medan. He was with his team at the foot of the hill when they ran into several of the militants. There was a shoot-out and Mathew was caught. He was brought to the militant leader, Mohd Amin Mohd Razali, who shot him point-blank.
Meanwhile, Sagadevan had to endure more torture for refusing to reveal any information to Mohd Amin.
Things turned worse for the remaining hostages on July 5 when Mohd Amin and one of his men were involved in a shoot-out with security forces when they went downhill to fetch water from a stream.
His man was killed and in a fit of rage, Mohd Amin went back to his base camp and fired two shots from his M-16 assault rifle at Sagadevan’s head. He then ordered Jaafar and Mohd Shah to bury the policeman.
Sagadevan’s role in that incident was not forgotten.
His name is among the 38 who have been listed on the police’s Hall of Fame, for his integrity, courage, professionalism and dedication in carrying out his duty.
Sagadevan was born in Kuala Muda, Kedah and joined the force in 1974. He had served the force for 25 years. He was awarded the Darjah Kebesaran dan Bintang Kehormatan P.G.B on Dec 27, 2001 by the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin.
Heroes in blue: Four-day ordeal with Al-Ma’unah
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FORMER detective sergeant Mohd Shah Ahmad, who survived the Sauk hostage incident, is now partially deaf. But that is the least of his problems. He is still struggling to overcome the horrors of those four days when he witnessed his colleague being tortured and murdered and people getting shot.
Mohd Shah was forced to dig 13 graves. The most painful moment was when he had to bury Sagadevan in one of them. Sagadevan and Mohd Shah were forced to dig graves as the militants were prepared to die rather than be caught by the security forces.
“Their leader kept telling them that the graves were for them and that they should die fighting for the cause,” said Mohd Shah, who retired last year and is now in the business of supplying foreign labour. He has four children aged between 20 and 28. “Till today, I find it difficult to believe I survived. It is a miracle,” the 56-year-old said.
Like Sagadevan, he was also tortured by the Al-Ma’unah militants. They slapped and kicked him, threw durians at him and forced him to carry them on his back. “They wanted information from us. They wanted to know what the security forces’ plans were to end the standoff. “We could not reveal those details. Many of our colleagues were involved in the operation and we could not endanger their lives.”
Jaafar Puteh, a villager who had been caught earlier, was brought before the policemen and asked if he knew them. “Jaafar didn’t know us. By then, they realised he was not a policeman. They went easy on him.” Jaafar has since died of natural causes.
A day before Sagadevan was murdered, Mohd Shah said he and his colleague were digging graves when they heard someone shout, “Tuan Sheikh, we have captured an enemy.” (Mohd Amin’s followers called him Tuan Sheikh.) “This was followed by gunshots and after that there were shouts of ‘Allahu Akbar’.” Mohd Shah and Sagadevan were later led to a clearing where they found army commando Mathew’s body. They were ordered to bury him.
The following day, around 7.30am, he saw Mohd Amin and one of his men going towards a stream. This was followed by gunshots. Mohd Shah, Sagadevan and Jaafar were tied to a durian tree about 10m away from Mohd Amin and his escort. “Suddenly I heard a gun shot and I saw the escort fall. Mohd Amin immediately starting firing towards the hill. “Then without warning, Mohd Amin ran up to Sagadevan and fired two shots at him.” When the shooting had ended, Mohd Shah and Jaafar were released and ordered to bury Sagadevan, whose body was placed in the same grave as Mathew’s.
The nightmare ended the following day, when the militants surrendered after holding discussions with a senior policeman.
During his four-day captivity on Bukit Jenalik, Mohd Shah said the militants were “bombarded” with Tan Sri P. Ramlee’s song Getaran Jiwa and the azan (Muslim call to prayer) aired over the public address system. He also heard a woman’s voice, urging the Al-Ma’unah members to surrender.
For his role, Mohd Shah was awarded the Darjah Kebesaran dan Bintang Kehormatan P.G.B on Dec 27, 2001 by the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin.