KUALA LUMPUR: A student at a military university in Kuala Lumpur has pleaded not guilty and claimed trial on Friday (Nov 8) to a charge of voluntarily causing hurt to his junior with a steam iron last month.
Cadet officer Amirul Iskandar Norhanizan, 22, is accused of causing hurt by pressing a heated steam iron on the chest of 20-year-old Muhammad Salman Mohd Saiful Surash after asking the latter to iron his clothes.
The two are students at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM).
Photos of burnt marks on Mr Muhammad Salman’s body have gone viral on social media since Oct 30.
According to the New Straits Times, Amirul allegedly committed the offence at 11.45pm in a dormitory at UPNM’s Military Training Academy on Oct 22. The 20-year-old-victim then lodged a police report about the incident on Nov 1, according to local media.
“I plead not guilty,” Amirul, who was unrepresented, was quoted as saying before Sessions Court Judge Egusra Ali after the charge was read out to him.
If found guilty, Amirul – who is being charged under Section 324 of the Penal Code – can be jailed up to 10 years, fined and/or caned.
Judge Egusra Ali granted him bail of RM20,000 (US$4,560) in two sureties, and scheduled Dec 27 for case management.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Sabri Othman initially urged the court to set bail at RM30,000 citing the gravity of Amirul’s alleged offence.
“The steam hot iron was pressed on the victim and he suffered a second degree burn on the right side of his chest. The testimonies that will prove the offence will include prosecution witnesses from his hostel mates, officers and coaches of UPNM.
“I seek an order for the accused not to go near witnesses or contact them to discuss the case,” Mr Mohd Sabri said.
Upon hearing Mr Mohd Sabri’s submission, Amirul pleaded for a lower bail amount as his parents are government pensioners and he is still a student.
“I promise to attend each court proceeding,” the 22-year-old was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times, to which the court agreed to the lower bail sum.
Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain had earlier said that Amirul had allegedly grabbed a steam iron and pressed it on the right side of his victim’s chest after asking him to iron his clothes. He added that the incident was purportedly witnessed by several other seniors in the room and shocked the victim, as he screamed in pain.
Police had also seized the iron as part of the probe and had so far recorded statements from 16 individuals, including medical officers, university staff, cadet officers and coaches, the New Straits Times reported.
MEASURES AND REGULATIONS TO CURB BULLYING
On Nov 7, national news agency Bernama reported that the Ministry of Defence will be introducing measures and regulations to curb bullying that could lead to injury or death among students of the military university.
According to Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari, one key improvement is by strengthening security through increasing the number of wardens supervising the students, ensuring closer attention to their well-being.
“We have zero tolerance for bullying in higher education institutions … We recognise the need to strengthen ties between wardens and students by increasing the number of wardens,” Mr Adly said at a Malaysian Armed Forces event.
Last week, Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a strongly worded speech that his government will not tolerate a culture of bullying in educational institutions.
Addressing students in the university where the latest incident took place, Mr Anwar also urged education leaders to take responsibility for the scourge.
Netizens had previously said that the latest case at UPNM reminds them of an incident in 2017 that led to the death of 21-year-old navy cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain at the same institution.
In July this year, six former UPNM students were sentenced to death by hanging for Zulfarhan’s murder.
According to local media, apart from having hot steam iron repeatedly pressed onto his body, Mr Zulfarhan was also subjected to beatings, kicks and punches. The case dominated headlines, with one of the three judges in the case describing it to be one of the rarest and “most extreme forms of cruelty”.
A military academy under the Ministry of Defence, UPNM is located at Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur.