‘We take full responsibility’
> Religious school says it will face issue, submits report on boy’s beating to police
KOTA TINGGI: A spokesman from Madrasah Tahfiz Al-Jauhar yesterday said the school will take full responsibility over the death of its pupil, Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Ghaddafi.
“We will face it and not run away,” the spokesman said when met at the school in Kampung Lukut.
He said the police were free to conduct their investigations and that the school had completed an internal report and had submitted it to the police.
The boy was scheduled for surgery to amputate his necrotic right hand on Wednesday morning but it was postponed as his heart was weak.
Thaqif died later in the afternoon, days after he had both legs amputated due to infection, believed to have been caused by a warden at the school whipping his legs with a hose.
The 29-year-old warden, who is an ex-convict, had also similarly punished other pupils at the school for allegedly being noisy in a surau.
He has been remanded until Saturday and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the case was now classified as murder.
The spokesman said a team of doctors and nurses had visited the school and spent four hours conducting health checks on pupils and staff.
He said there are a total 109 students at the school, mostly from Johor, adding that a CCTV system had just been installed at the premises.
On whether the school board of directors or management staff had offered to resign, he said none had done so as the matter was under police investigation.
When asked why the school hired an ex-convict who had served a 30-month jail sentence for theft, the spokesman said: “We will give our reasons later.”
In relation to the status of the school, he said they only needed to register under the state Islamic education department.
He declined comment on whether it was standard procedure to cane pupils.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said religious schools nationwide must abide by guidelines set by the Education Ministry, including on caning of pupils.
He said such guidelines include discipline and the welfare of teachers and students, and must be adhered by all schools.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported that Thaqif was laid to rest at the Felda Bukit Aping Timur cemetery yesterday.
His remains, accompanied by his father Mohd Gaddafi Mat Karim, had earlier arrived at the victim’s grandfather’s house located about a kilometre from the cemetery.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’’s Department Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, who had visited Mohamad Thaqif Amin at the Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor Baru, led prayers for the deceased before the burial.
State Health, Environment, Education and Information Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat, said the postmortem report on Thaqif is expected to be ready in two weeks.
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