Civil groups call for independent commission to probe Zara Qairina's death
PETALING JAYA : Civil society groups have urged the government to set up an independent commission to investigate the death of Form 1 student Zara Qairina Mahathir and other bullying cases involving students over the past 10 years.
Sekretariat Solidariti Zara, which comprises university students and civil society groups, also called for the outcomes of the commission's investigations to be made public.
The group submitted a memorandum to MPs outside the Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur today, after marching from Taman Tugu while carrying banners and placards calling for justice for Zara.
In the memorandum, they urged the home ministry and police to hold an inquest into Zara's death.
The university students and civil society group representatives marching from Taman Tugu to Parliament.
'Too many lives have been lost because of bullying. For many years, bullying cases have occurred without holistic solutions and concrete policy reforms,' said the memorandum.
It also urged the police to publicly apologise for the delay in probing Zara's death as well as the purported mishandling of the investigation.
'Delayed action reflects not only weak governance, but also a failure to uphold the responsibility of ensuring students' safety.'
The group urged the home ministry to carry out specialised training for police officers to better handle bullying cases, and for teachers, school administrators and wardens to undergo mandatory training for crisis intervention and proper methods to receive complaints from bullying victims.
It likewise urged the education ministry to engage with civil society to improve its SOPs on handling bullying cases in schools.
Two days ago, Zara's remains were exhumed for a post-mortem after the Attorney-General's Chambers ordered the police to further investigate the 13-year-old's death.
Yesterday, Bukit Aman announced that it would take over the investigation of the case.
Zara was found unconscious at 4am on July 16 after allegedly falling from the third floor of her school's hostel in Papar, Sabah. She died in hospital the following day.
The education ministry subsequently announced that it would review its SOPs and guidelines on school safety and for handling disciplinary issues, including bullying.
Education director-general Azam Ahmad said the ministry's portal for bullying complaints would also be simplified, with students filing complaints on bullying given the option to remain anonymous to protect their identity.
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