KOTA KINABALU: A warden told the Coroner’s Court in Kota Kinabalu on Wednesday that the lesbian claim involving Zara Qairina Mahathir was merely a perception among students who misread close friendships.
Miswati Lundu, a teacher and counsellor at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha, said the issue began as student chatter after one student complained about feeling sidelined when her friend grew closer to Zara.
She said counselling sessions were held in March with Zara and several Form 1 students after further allegations emerged, including a claim that a student had sniffed Zara’s blanket as a joke.
Miswati said that all students involved denied any inappropriate behaviour, and the sessions concluded that misunderstandings and assumptions had fuelled the allegations.
She added that she handled around 60 counselling sessions in 2025, including those linked to emotional issues involving five students charged in the Children’s Court after Zara’s death.
