By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: The Coroner's Court was told that students had been following the long-standing practice of seniors scolding juniors.
Thirteen child witnesses who testified at the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir said that Zara herself had previously been scolded in a group by senior students.
On the night of July 15, 2025, one of the witnesses and another senior were called by a student to help resolve a case involving Zara, who was accused of stealing from a junior.
"The witness confirmed that she and her friends questioned Zara about the alleged theft.
"She said they took turns asking Zara questions, and she herself asked, 'Did you steal? If you did, just say yes.' Zara did not respond and remained silent.
"The witness said their questioning could be heard by all dormitory members in the room.
"She also said one of her senior friends scolded Zara, adding that they were merely following past practices, as they too had been treated the same way when they were juniors," according to a joint statement by lawyers representing Zara's family — Rizwandean M. Borhan, Shahlan Jufri, Mohd Syarulnizam Mohd Salleh, Mohd Luqman Syazwan Zabidi, Farrah Nasser and Elhanan James.
The witness, who stayed on the same floor as Zara and knew her personally, also said she later saw Zara lying face-up and unconscious on the ground below the dormitory building.
As for members of the Circle 19 group, the witness said they had made two types of T-shirts — a brown one with the word "NINETEEN" printed in the middle, and a blue one with "NINETEEN" and an "NT" logo (representing NINETEEN) printed on either the left or right chest.
"The witness said several Circle 19 members had previously been summoned by discipline or counselling teachers for misconduct after being caught with mobile phones in the dormitory around June and July 2025.
"She said the teachers were unaware that these students had behaved harshly toward others."
The inquest will resume tomorrow.
Original article was posted here
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