Kindergarten principal to be charged on July 12 with negligence over boy’s death

IPOH: The principal of a kindergarten where a four-year-old boy fell into a swimming pool and died five days later will be charged.

Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Yahaya Hassan said the police have obtained an instruction from the deputy public prosecutor's office to charge the 58-year-old at the Magistrate's Court here on Wednesday (July 12).

ACP Yahaya said the case was investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act for neglecting a child in a manner likely to cause physical injury.

"The woman was arrested at the district police station on Tuesday (July 11)," he said in a statement.

ACP Yahaya was responding to a 30-second video that was detected on Facebook on July 11.

The video was uploaded by a user named "Sathruhan Manian" who alleged that the police did not conduct a transparent investigation into the death of the child.

On April 23, the mother of the four-year-old boy had in a press conference alleged that the kindergarten's management had been negligent over the incident.

D. Nilaveni, 40, said her only child, V. Thanes Nair, died on April 23 at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital at about 10.35am here after being admitted on April 17, the day of the incident.

ACP Yahaya said the police were serious towards the allegations made and the spreading of false information through social media by the said user," he said, adding that the police received a report regarding the drowning of the four-year-old child in a swimming pool on April 18.

"A sudden death report was also opened to investigate the death of the child.

"The police have investigated the case thoroughly.

"We would like to advise the public not to misuse computer devices and social media platforms to make allegations that could interrupt investigations and affect the credibility of the police," he added.