KUALA LUMPUR – The late Tun Mohammed Hanif Omar’s family has refuted reports that they insisted on having the former inspector-general of police (IGP) buried at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery.
In a statement, Hanif’s son Abdul Rahmat Omar Mohamed Hanif stated that the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) personnel initially informed the family that Hanif would be laid to rest at the Heroes’ Mausoleum at the National Mosque, although the family’s initial plan involved the Bukit Kiara burial ground.
“After discussing the matter with my mother, we agreed (for Hanif to be buried at the Heroes’ Mausoleum),” Rahmat explained.
“This was the last information and communication we had (with PDRM) regarding (Hanif’s) burial, until an announcement was made by the National Mosque imam that (Hanif) would be buried at Bukit Kiara.
“There was no discussion between (those in charge of) protocol and the family, especially with me as the heir and family representative,” he added.
Rahmat said he was compelled to issue the statement today due to “unhealthy political insinuations”. He also detailed a chronology of the family’s plans for Hanif’s final rites and burial on April 20.
“At 6.22am, I informed friends and family that (Hanif’s) remains would be at home until 10am, following which he would be taken to the Al-Ikhlas Mosque in Section 13, Shah Alam, for his final rites,” he said.
“No burial information could be decided until we received a response from the PDRM secretariat and their welfare division.
“At 8.40am, I issued a final notification that after prayer at the Al-Ikhlas Mosque, (Hanif’s) body will be taken to the Bukit Aman PDRM Mosque for people to pay their last respects and another round of prayer before being brought to Bukit Kiara.”
Then, Rahmat said that at approximately 9.45am, he was informed by PDRM to consider taking Hanif’s body directly to the National Mosque for prayers and other rituals before a burial at the Heroes’ Mausoleum.
Ultimately, Hanif’s remains were laid to rest in Bukit Kiara at 3.15pm. He was buried next to his late son, Ahmad Jamal Omar, who died in 2013.
Hanif, the longest-serving IGP who contributed 20 years of service under the title, was appointed as the nation’s fourth IGP at the age of 35 in 1974, following the assassination of his predecessor Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Hashim by communist insurgents.
Born on January 16, 1939, in Teluk Intan, Perak, Hanif was involved in countering several high-profile security incidents, including the AIA building hostage crisis in 1975.
He founded the elite counter-terrorism unit and renamed the Bluff Road Police Headquarters to Bukit Aman.
His funeral prayer was attended by around 1,000 mourners, including the Prime Minister’s wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as well as IGP Tan Sri Razarudin Husain and his deputy, Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pithay.
Former IGPs Tan Sri Musa Hassan and Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and ex-deputy IGP Tan Sri Mazlan Mansoor, alongside Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Nor and his Selangor counterpart Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, were also in attendance. – April 22, 2024