SINGAPORE — Danger was staring them in the face at the height of the Little India riot, with the mob hurling projectiles such as concrete slabs, while some even had a close brush with death — moments after dashing out of an ambulance in which they were taking shelter, it exploded into flames.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer also narrowly escaped being crushed by a bus while he was trying to extricate the body of Indian national Sakthivel Kumaravelu from underneath it, after a crowd of about 100 to 150 rioters started shoving, causing a hydraulic jack lifting the bus to give way.

Despite such perilous conditions recounted by the police officers during the inquiry yesterday, they did not confront the perpetrators — a decision that drew intense questioning by the four-member committee. At one point, one of the committee members, former Police Commissioner Tee Tua Ba, remarked: “(The rioters) were in control because you allowed them.”

Police officers who testified earlier before the Committee of Inquiry (COI) had cited various reasons for not apprehending the rioters sooner, including the fact that law-enforcement personnel were grossly outnumbered and the lack of proper equipment.

This was echoed by Kampong Java Neighbourhood Police Centre officer Akhbar Hj Ali yesterday, who said these reasons resulted in them being “unable to control the situation”. Some foreign workers also advised them against moving in, he added.

“They said the situation was out of control and the crowd was violent and would not hesitate to harm us,” said the Senior Station Inspector. “As we got no protective gear — especially no shield — we tried to move further away.”

Another officer, Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Kamisah Hanafi — who had been hit by a concrete slab on her torso and by a bottle on her forearm — was questioned why she did not confront the rioters, even when the mob continued pelting the ambulance she and other officers were taking cover in.

It was “not a strategic location”, she replied, adding that the officers on board had to “discuss and regroup”.

Moreover, officers’ lives were not under imminent threat, in her view, because the rioters were targeting officers holding shields. “If they wanted to kill us, they (would) attack the most vulnerable ones. (Their) intention is not to kill us,” she said.

Another of those in the same ambulance was Traffic Police officer Muhammad Adil Lawi, who told the COI that the rioters had been overheard wanting to set the ambulance ablaze. “I realised the gravity of the situation and therefore told the officers that we needed to flee,” he said, adding that the vehicle exploded shortly after.

Being the one holding the most senior rank, SI Adil instructed the other officers to run from the scene of the riot, towards Bukit Timah Road. However, the mob continued pelting them, he added.

This account drew quickfire remarks from the COI members.

Mr John De Payva asked: “You’re the law, how can the law run away?”

Mr Tee added: “(Your) life is (under) threat, you are right, you must react ... seen to be running away ... they got bolder. They were in control because you allowed them.”

Similar questions were directed at SSgt Kamisah, but she said they were not running away out of fear.

“None of us were frightened,” she said, adding that their focus was to contain the riot and protect innocent bystanders in order to prevent “further damages”.