Hisham orders immediate probe into student’s death

KUALA LUMPUR: Defence Minis­ter Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has ordered the Armed Forces and the Malaysian National Defence University to conduct an immediate investigation into the death of navy cadet officer Zulfar­han Osman Zulkarnain.

“Very sad to hear the news about the death of a navy cadet officer, Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain, this morning, especially when we are focusing on fasting.

“I cannot imagine the family of the deceased receiving this sad news. I pray they are given strength and perseverance by Allah on their loss,” said Hishammuddin.

“The death of Zulfarhan brings back sad memories when I took oath as Education Minister in 2004.

“At the time, a student in Negri Sembilan died after he was bullied by schoolmates.

“The incident is still clear in my mind and had a huge impact as af­­ter that incident, the Education Mi­­nis­­try and I worked very hard to eradicate bullying in school.

“I have been consistent, no one will be spared legal action if found guilty,” Hishammuddin said in a statement yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces headquarters also confirmed in a statement yesterday that Zulfarhan died from his injuries at Hospital Serdang on Thursday night.

It said Zulfarhan, 21, was from Johor Baru and was a third-year electrical engineering student.

The statement added that police would be conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the incident and those involved.

“An autopsy is being carried out to identify the cause of death,” it said.

It said the Armed Forces viewed the matter seriously and would carry out an internal investigation without compromise, and take stern action against those involved.

The Armed Forces will help return Zulfarhan’s remains to the family residence in Johor Baru and arrange for his burial at Tanah Perkuburan Kg Kurnia in Jalan Kebun Teh, Johor Baru.

The Armed Forces urged the public not to speculate on the matter and leave it to the authorities to investigate.