Tangisan, kesedihan di Hospital Ipoh ratapi kematian Karpal Singh...
Karpal terbunuh dalam kemalangan di kilometer 301.6 Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan kira-kira jam 1 pagi tadi.
Ahli keluarganya – isteri, Gurmit Kaur; anak lelakinya, Jagdeep Singh Deo dan Gobind Singh Deo serta anak perempuannya, Sangeet dan disertai Setiausaha Agung DAP, Lim Guan Eng serta beberapa pemimpin lain kelihatan berada di hospital menanti jenazahnya.
Semua kelihatan menangis ketika jenazah Karpal dipindahkan dari van dan dibawa ke rumah mayat, yang baru dibuka semalam.
Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Changkat Jering yang juga bekas Menteri Besar Perak, Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, berkata ia adalah berita yang amat mengejutkan.
Beliau menggambarkan Karpal seseorang yang berpegang kepada prinsip.
“Dia akan berusaha sehabis mungkin untuk membetulkan apa yang salah. Kehilangan besar kepada negara dan masyarakat Sikh.
“Saya mengenalinya selama 20 tahun. Saya berjumpa dengannya di Parlimen dan beberapa acara DAP,” katanya ketika ditemui di hospital.
Karpal dalam perjalanan ke Pulau Pinang untuk menghadiri satu kes mahkamah ketika kejadian itu berlaku.
Menurut polis, kenderaan pelbagai guna itu remuk teruk selepas hilang kawalan selepas berlanggar dengan sebuah lori di KM301.6 Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan kira-kira jam 12.40 pagi tadi.
Polis berkata, Karpal meninggal dunia di tempat kejadian. Terdapat empat penumpang dalam kenderaan Toyota Alphard itu, yang bernombor pendaftaran KS9898.
Pembantunya yang sudah lama berkhidmat, Michael Cornelius Selvam Vellu turut terbunuh sementara anak lelaki Karpal, Ramkarpal juga cedera di dahi dan lutut.
Pemandu dan pembantu rumah Karpal turut cedera. Pembantu rumah terbabit dikatakan berada dalam keadaan kritikal.
Sementara itu, Presiden PKR, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail turut melahirkan kesedihan menerusi laman Facebook miliknya dengan mengucapkan takziah kepada waris dan keluarga Karpal.
“Takziah kepada waris dan keluarga mendiang Karpal yang meninggal dunia dalam kemalangan jalan raya awal pagi tadi. Seorang yang kita kenali sebagai pejuang keadilan yang meletakkan diri sepenuhnya membela rakyat. Moga keluarga tabah dan sabar dengan dugaan. Malaysia kehilangan seorang lagi pejuang rakyat,” tulisnya. – tmi
Karpal's son Ram Karpal and the driver were believed to be injured in the accident which occurred at 1.10am near 301.6km northbound marker along the the North-South Highway.
Malaysiakini learnt that Karpal and his son, who is also a lawyer, were heading north for a court case later today.
Photos taken at the scene of the accident - near Gua Tempurung
in Kampar - show the white Toyota Alphard badly damaged.
Contacted later, an Ipoh police spokesperson told Malaysiakini that it is believed the MPV collided with a lorry which switched lanes without indication.
Karpal's other son and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo (left) told The Star that his father had died on the spot."My brother Ram is slightly injured but we are trying to get through to him," he added when the daily contacted him at 3.30am.
According to a police statement later, Ram and driver of the ill-fated car, C Selvam, were not injured. However, Karpal's Indonesian maid suffered severe injuries and she is warded at Ipoh's Hospital Permaisuri Bainun.
The driver of the lorry, which was hit behind by Karpal's car, and its three passengers escaped without injury.
The police said the MPV carrying Karpal and four others hit the slow moving lorry at a hilly stretch of the highway.
The five-tonne lorry was carrying a load of cement, steel and mosaic tiles.
Karpal, 74, was involved in a previous car accident in 2005 where he was paralysed and wheelchair-bound.
The vocal politician graduated from University of Singapore and started his law practice before running for Parliament in 1978.
His long tenure as Jelutong MP and fiery speeches in the Dewan Rakyat earned him the moniker "Tiger of Jelutong".
Karpal had recently relinquished his post as DAP chairperson pending the disposal of his appeal against a sedition charge.
Last month, the High Court found him guilty of uttering seditious words against the Sultan of Perak at the height of the constitutional crisis in 2009.
PM offers condolences
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak conveyed his condolences via Twitter.
"I
have just landed at Ankara when I heard the news that YB Karpal Singh
died in a road accident. My condolences to the family," read the
premier's tweet.Other netizens also expressed condolences and shock over Karpal's passing.
"Shocked and sad news! DAP chairman Karpal Singh passed away in accident
tonight. Malaysia has lost a truly patriotic son," wrote Taiping MP Nga
Kor Ming.
The bodies of the two deceased, Karpal and Michael, arrived at the Ipoh General Hospital at 7.20am.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (right) and his deputy Mohd Rashid Hasnon, and former Perak menteri besar Nizar Jamaluddin were there.They conveyed their condolences to Karpal's sons Gobind and Jagdeep. Karpal's wife was seen crying, while a relative tried to prevent photos from being taken. The bodies were sent for post-mortem.
Gobind said that the family expects the post-mortem to finish at 10.30am, after which they will bring the body back to their family home in Penang by 1pm.
He added that he was informed about the accident at 2.15am, and together with his wife, rushed to the scene. Gobind and his mother, Gurmit Kaur, managed to see Karpal's body.
The funeral for the veteran politician is expected to be either on Saturday evening or Sunday morning, he added.
"Mr Karpal has family and friends overseas and we are waiting for them to return for his funeral," he said.
"His body will be kept in our family home along Jalan Utama (Penang)," he added.
Gobind said Ram, who sustained slight bruises, is well.
He also thanked all well-wishers for their support and requested the public to give the grieving family some privacy.
"We will be keeping everyone informed with regular updates," he added. - mk
An emotional and teary morning...
It was an emotional and teary morning at the Ipoh Hospital's Forensic Department as Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh's body arrived for a post-mortem at 7.20am.
Karpal's body will be taken back to his family home in Penang today and he is expected to be cremated at the Sikh cremation hall on Jalan Gurdwara at 11am on Sunday.
Arriving
with his body from Kampar, where Karpal together with his helper,
Michael Cornelius, died on-the-spot in an accident near the Gopeng exit
of the North-South Expressway, was his son, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo,
who looked exhausted.Though he appeared distraught as he himself had been admitted to hospital in Kuala Lumpur recently, Gobind (on the left) was calm and collected as he took questions from the army of reporters who have come to the hospital from Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang.
Karpal's
wife, Gurmit Kaur, was also in tears as she entered the waiting hall,
wearing a purple scarf over her head, as relatives accompanied her into
the Forensic Department's waiting area.She was speechless but her pain was apparent as many approach her to offer condolences, as they hugged her and held her tight.
Others waiting at the scene were Karpal’s son Penang executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Perak PAS chairperson Nizar Jamaluddin and Penang leaders such as state exco member Phee Boon Poh and Seri Delima assemblyperson RSN Rayer.
As one point, Lim was seen in tears as he hugged Gobind, offering his condolences, drawing tears from onlookers as well.
Since
then, many supporters of the veteran lawyer and DAP, have gathered
outside the building, which was only officially opened yesterday.About 8.30am, Karpal's driver, C Selvam was seen approaching the building, sobbing loudly, as he was whisked away by several others.
A security guard, who happens to hail from Dato Keramat in Penang, where Jagdeep is the assemblyperson, said Karpal is the first person to be brought to the mortuary.
"We have not seen such a big man die here before. This is the first time we are seeing this. I knew about the incident at 5am and I am shocked as I know about the political careers of Karpal and his son Jagdeep," the guard, who did not want to be named, told Malaysiakini.
Karpal makes last journey home to Penang...
The 73-year-old, popularly known as the "Tiger of Jelutong", died early this morning after the Toyota Alphard he was in collided with a five-tonne Mitsubishi Canter. Karpal's remains had been brought to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh at 7.25am this morning for an autopsy.
Before the casket was taken out of the morgue, Karpal's wife and other family members were allowed in to view his remains. Besides the throng of photographers and reporters, there were many mourners who waited outside the mortuary to pay their last respects.
As the casket was carried towards the van, many people strained to touch Karpal's casket. The van departed from the Ipoh Hospital at 1.30pm accompanied by three police outriders and other vehicles bearing his family. The police outriders escorted the van until the toll plaza before returning to Ipoh.
It is understood that the funeral is expected to be held on Sunday at 11am so that relatives abroad have sufficient time to return to Malaysia to pay their respects. Karpal and his aide, Michael Cornelius Selvam Velly, 39, were killed in the accident which occurred about 1.10am near Gua Tempurung in Perak. Police said they both died at the scene.
Karpal's son, Ramkarpal, and their driver were slightly injured but their maid is said to be in critical condition. Police however said that the lorry driver, who was not injured in the accident, had traces of cannabis in his urine sample.- tmi
Karpal maut dalam nahas, anak cedera
Karpal Singh walaupun sudah tiada, suaranya masih bergema
Langkawi BN MP pokes fun at Karpal Singh’s remains
Ahli Parlimen BN Langkawi hina gambar mayat Karpal Singh
Karpal's body accompanied by family members being taken in an ambulance to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh.
The body of Karpal's assistant Michael Cornelius being wheeled out of the Kampar Hospital mortuary.
My deepest condolence to your family, RIP Tiger Of Jelutong...
R.I.P
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