A student witness told the inquest the dormitory atmosphere was “tense and scary” on the night before Zara Qairina was found unconscious.
KOTA KINABALU: A student witness described the atmosphere at a school dormitory as “tense” and “scary” on the night before 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir was found unconscious.
The witness testified at the Coroner’s Court here on Thursday about three incidents within 10 to 20 minutes at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha dormitory on July 15, 2025.
Lawyer Shahlan Jufri, representing the late girl’s mother, said the witness stated Zara Qairina was first questioned by two senior students over an alleged theft.
She was then questioned again by two other students together with another senior student.
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“The third incident involved a senior student reading a letter stating that Zara Qairina wanted to become ‘Badr’,” Shahlan told reporters after the closed-door proceedings.
The witness also testified that a senior student instructed roommates “not to look and not to listen” during the incident.
Swear words were used which frightened the witness.
When asked by Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan if such incidents were common, the witness said similar occurrences had happened several times.
The events on the night of July 15 were described as particularly frightening.
Another recalled student witness told the court she received a yellow note from Zara Qairina tucked into a book.
The note bore the words “bye dear”.
The witness said Zara Qairina intended to inform her she was going to the mosque first and they would meet there later.
Zara Qairina died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17 last year.
She was found unconscious in a drain near the school dormitory in Papar a day earlier.
The Attorney General’s Chambers ordered an inquest on August 13 after reviewing the police investigation report.
It had earlier ordered the exhumation of Zara Qairina’s grave on August 8 for a post-mortem examination.
The inquest proceedings will continue on Monday and remain closed to the public as they involve child witnesses. – Bernama
