KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 13 -- Lawyers representing the families of three men shot dead by police in Melaka last month have said the state police chief appears to beattempting to divert public attention from the core issue of the case by commenting on the personal background of a woman linked to one of the deceased.

In a statement today, Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh said remarks by Melaka police chief Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar regarding the marital status and alleged past criminal record of Jayashree - who is connected to G. Logeswaranand recorded audio related to the incident - were irrelevant and inappropriate.

"Whether Jayashree was legally married or had any prior record is entirely irrelevant to the killing of three men by poli...