Kota Kinabalu: The Coroner’s Court on Friday heard that Zara Qairina Mahathir was moved quite far from where she was found unconscious by the School Warden Chief together with three senior students on July 16.
Linah Mansoding @ Jaliha, a security guard who has been working at SMKA Tun Mustapha for 13 years, said Zara was moved to the front of the warden’s house.
She said she did not know why Zara was moved but they said “kesian (pity)”, as well as easier to wait for the ambulance.
To a question from counsel Shahlan Jufri: Who called the three senior students to lift Zara and put her by the side of the warden’s house?Linah: Maybe the Warden Chief.
Shahlan: While waiting for ambulance to arrive, who were at the scene? Linah: The three students, warden chief, teachers and security guards.
Shalan: Was the principal also there?Linah: Yes.
According to Linah, Zara was placed by the side of the warden’s house and near the exit route from Blok A because they said they wanted to wait for the ambulance.
“I was there when Zara was moved and also tried to help them to carry Zara. When they already placed Zara next to the warden’s house, I myself touched Zara’s face and tried to wake her by calling her name but she did not respond.
“Also there were teachers and security guards,” she said, adding that all of them, including the three senior students, waited almost one hour for the ambulance.
She further said after Zara was taken away by the ambulance, the students were asked to clean blood where Zara was placed.
To a question from counsel Shahlan Jufri, Linah said when Zara was lifted, there were blood drops especially from her left leg and that the leg bone was protruding.
She also told the coroner that when she found Zara, she did not see her wearing slippers, or shoes, or headscarf (tudung).
Linah further testified that the Warden Chief had asked her to delete from her handphone the picture of Zara found near the drain by saying it might go viral as the students sometimes borrowed her handphone and would see the picture.
Linah also told the coroner that a day before the incident, Zara was accused of stealing money from a student (A).
She said she heard that one of the senior students was asked by one Ustaz Izani to find Zara’s dormitory head and then the senior told Ustaz Izani that Zara had been accused of stealing money belonging to A.
Linah was answering questions from Shahlan who asked her about anything she heard about Zara before the incident.
According to Linah, at night on July 15, she met A at the clothes drying area and A complained that her wallet containing RM300 and a bank card were missing but did not mention who stole it.
“A had told me that her RM300 and a bank card were missing from her bag. When I asked her why she brought the large amount of money, A said because she came from far.”Lina, the sixth deponent in the Zara’s inquest, continued to testify before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan on Friday.
She further told the coroner that A had complained about her missing money to a senior student who was assigned to supervise Form One students on the third floor of the hostel.
According to Lina, she heard that Zara was called by four senior students about the missing money but she did not know what the four had done to Zara, adding that Lina said maybe the four just called her and asked about the money.
To a question from Shahlan on whether Zara was called for MA (Mesyuarat Agung) which referred to sessions between senior and junior students, because of the accusation of stealing against her, Linah said, maybe.
Linah said she came to understand the MA significance after receiving an explanation from hostel students.
“I did not understand what MA meant but only know it after asking the students. It’s when seniors would summon juniors to reprimand and advise. For example, for disrespecting or failing to smile when passing by.
“That was the manner in which they would counsel the younger students... telling them ‘don’t do this, don’t do that’,” she explained, adding that the practice had since been prohibited and banned.
She said the practice was prohibited and banned because the senior students acted as they liked.
“They don’t simply summons junior students as they wish. If there is misconduct, it should be reported to the teachers, and the teachers will do the next action.”When asked by counsel Nurul Rafeeqa Afdul Mutolip about bullying in the school, Linah said she never heard about bullies in the school.
Nurul: Since you are in this school from 2012, have you ever heard about bullying in this school?Linah: I never heard…yang main-main ada (playing around) but no physical assault.
To a question by counsel Azhier Farhan on whether the dorm head of A, B, C and D met with Zara on the night of the incident for the purpose of asking about the missing items and bully, Linah said: “I do not know”.
Azhier: On the said day, there were people saying that Zara was beaten on the night of the incident and as a security guard on duty, have you received any complaint that Zara was beaten.
Linah: None.
She further said that a senior student, who discovered the victim, claimed to have woken early to do her laundry.
Linah said the student informed her that she woke up early because she was worried there would be a long queue for the laundry and while the student was at the laundry, she heard a sound like falling object.
According to Linah, the student then saw Zara near the drain and immediately called her and together went to the scene.
Linah said she had never seen the said senior student washing clothes at 2am as the hostel students typically washed their clothes around 10pm, after the evening preparatory class.
She further said she never saw the student do their laundry at the wee hours and at 2am they were usually asleep.
Linah, who informed the court that she was asked to give her statements to the police regarding Zara’s case for seven times, said Zara was not put in the washing machine.
Following Zara’s incident, one of the students’ mother had come to the hostel and asked permission to bring home her daughter.
However, Linah said the warden did not allow the student to go home as there was no permission from the school principal.
She said on July 17 at about 10pm or 11pm, the mother went to the hostel and told her that she wanted to bring her daughter home as her daughter was traumatic with the incident.
“I told the mother that they did not have authority to allow the student to go back home. I then called the warden on duty, Cikgu Fatimah, who then met the mother.
“Cikgu Fatimah told the mother the school does not allow students to go home without the principal’s permission as the principal at the time was busy meeting Zara’s mother.
“The mother’s request to bring her daughter back was not allowed and after being persuaded by her daughter, the mother left,” she said.
According to Linah, after the incident the situation at the hostel turned chaotic especially after they learnt that Zara had died.
“All the students, especially those in Form One, became frightened and they slept in the sick bay close to the security guard’s desk as they were only allowed to go back home on July 18,” she said.
