News

  • Nation
  • World Updates
  • Courts
  • Parliament
  • Columnists
  • Opinion
  • Honours List

Tuesday March 30, 2004

Student beaten to death by seniors at hostel

BY R.S.N. MURALI

Mohamad Faris: Top student and popular with teachers despite being a newcomer
SEREMBAN: Fourteen Form Five students of a top religious school here have been arrested for allegedly beating to death a 16-year-old schoolmate at their hostel on Sunday evening.

The seniors are said to have attacked Mohamad Faris Ibrahim because they were jealous of him for being a top student and popular with teachers despite being a newcomer to the SM Agama Datuk Klana Putra Ma’amor.

A hostel warden found Mohamad Faris sprawled in a pool of blood in his bed at about 7pm on Sunday after the boy failed to turn up at the dinning hall for dinner.

OCPD Asst Comm Mohamad Abdullah said the warden took the boy to the hospital, where doctors found that Mohamad Faris was already dead.

The warden then lodged a police report at the hospital police beat base at 7.30pm.

Police quizzed students staying in the hostel before arresting the 14 seniors at 8am yesterday.

ACP Mohamad said police had classified the case as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

It is learnt that some of the seniors had also attacked Mohamad Faris on Friday after accusing him of stealing a kettle from one of them.

Sources said the assailants tied Mohamad Faris to his bed and assaulted him in front of others living in the same dormitory..

The seniors again attacked Mohamad Faris on Sunday at 4pm, again in front of other boys who did not dare interfere.

Family in grief: Ibrahim (in sarong) and Norizan (next to him) being consoled by relatives at their home in Taman Desa Anggerik, Senawang, on Monday.
The 14 suspects were brought before magistrate Suhaila Harun, who granted a four-day remand order for police to facilitate investigations.

Headmistress Johara Nawawi said she did not want to comment because police were still investigating the matter.

Classmates and teachers said Mohamad Faris was transferred to the fully residential school a month ago and was a brilliant student and involved in various co-curricular activities.

SM Agama Datuk Klana Putra Ma’amor is one of the top religious secondary schools in the country. Only select students from all over the country are sent to the school, which comes under the purview of the State Religious Department.

The school frequently achieves a 100% pass rate in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination.

Met at the victim’s house in Taman Desa Anggerik, Senawang, Mohamad Faris' uncle, Mohd Mazuki Ishak, 52, an officer attached to the Selangor Education Department, said his nephew had lodged a complaint with the school authorities over an earlier brawl.

Mohd Mazuki also claimed that the school authorities had told Mohamad Faris’ family that the boy died from a fall.

“But the post-mortem revealed that he succumbed to multiple internal injuries including ruptures in both kidneys.

“We were taken aback when the hospital confirmed the cause of death,” said Mohd Mazuki, who lodged a police report on behalf of the victim’s family.

Mohamad Faris’ parents, Ibrahim Maadah, 49, and Norizan Ishak, 46, were too distraught to talk to the press.

Paroi assemblyman Bibi Sharliza Mohd Khalid, who visited the family, urged the school to bear full responsibility and help in investigations.

“The school must not ignore the fact that a fatal incident occurred in its compound,” she added.

Mentri Besar Datuk Mohamad Hasan said he viewed the incident seriously.

“I have asked for a report on the incident immediately,” he said.

  • E-mail this story
  • Print this story

News Poll