PETALING JAYA: Classes resumed at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4 yesterday morning, one day after a 16-year-old student was fatally stabbed on the school grounds — an incident that has left the whole nation reeling in grief and disbelief.
The usually lively compound was noticeably subdued with fewer than a hundred students seen entering by 7am.
Teachers greeted them at the entrance with faint smiles while a bouquet of white flowers seen placed at the school gate served as a quiet gesture of remembrance.
A parent, who wished to be known only as Amin, said the tragedy had deeply shaken parents and students alike.
“The school didn’t tell anyone to stay home, so classes went on as normal,” he said.
“My son wasn’t in the same class as the boy but as a parent, of course I’m scared. Anything could happen.”
He said his son had been sitting for an exam when the incident occurred.
“He told me he heard someone scream, then looked out and saw what had happened. He was just about to hand in his paper,” Amin recalled.
“Now the exams have been postponed. His mother kept asking this morning if he really wanted to go to school, and he said he would go.”
A Form Five student said he returned to school today “just to be present”.
“We all knew her by face even if not close. It’s really sad — it happened in our own school,” he said.
He added that the Form Five graduation ceremony, scheduled to take place soon has been postponed.
“What should have been a happy farewell has turned into one of sorrow and disbelief. I’m still in shock. It feels unreal that something so tragic could happen within the walls of our own school.”
A video that circulated online after the incident showed a terrified student who claimed the suspect had entered her classroom earlier when no teacher was present, leaving her shaken.
The fatal attack took place on Tuesday when a 16-year-old Form Three student was allegedly stabbed to death by a 14-year-old Form One student inside the school compound at 9.30am.
Police later arrested the suspect, who was reportedly armed with a knife.
