A disciplinary teacher told a coroner’s court that Zara Qairina reported a sexual harassment incident involving a blanket, which was later deemed a misunderstanding.
KOTA KINABALU: A school disciplinary teacher testified that Zara Qairina Mahathir lodged a complaint about sexual harassment roughly a month after enrolling at her secondary school.
The Coroner’s Court heard that the complaint, received on March 14, alleged a Form Two student had sniffed her private parts while she slept in her dormitory.
Assistant head of discipline Nurul Syahadah Ibrahim, 38, said the unit’s investigation concluded the incident stemmed from a misunderstanding.
“Our investigation found that the student had only sniffed the blanket she was using before taking it to be washed,” said the 54th witness.
She stated the disciplinary unit deemed the student’s actions playful and without inappropriate intention after interviewing all involved.
Nurul Syahadah confirmed she personally asked the student to demonstrate how she sniffed the blanket and believed the demonstration.
When asked by lawyer Datuk Ram Singh if she believed Zara’s complaint, she said the unit required additional evidence as Zara was allegedly asleep.
“We needed evidence from her roommates,” she told the inquest before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
The witness also addressed a claim that a senior known as ‘Kak M’ had threatened Zara.
She clarified the student was not a gangster and the remark followed Zara and another student body-shaming ‘Kak M’s’ younger sister.
Nurul Syahadah confirmed the ‘Circle 19’ group still exists at the school as its members are still enrolled, though factions are prohibited.
She agreed the group had used obscene language towards other students but was unsure if a police report was warranted.
A frustrated Ram Singh then stated he would lodge a police report on ‘Circle 19’ to prevent another death at the school.
He subsequently filed the report at Luyang Police Station and urged action against the alleged group and the school.
Zara Qairina, 13, was confirmed dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, a day after being found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory.
The proceeding continues.
