KOTA KINABALU: The inquest into the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir took an emotional turn.
The school’s head warden broke down after being asked if he, the school and others were attempting to cover up the case.
Azhari Abd Sagap, the eighth witness, fought back tears as he defended himself and his colleagues against the allegation put forward by Abdul Fikry Jaafar Abdullah.
Abdul Fikry is counsel for four students accused of bullying Zara Qairina.
"If we wanted to protect the bullies or murderers, I would not have told the police what happened on July 15. But I reported it on the night of July 16, before Zara Qairina’s mother lodged her second police report. I personally dealt with the police. Whatever they asked, I complied, including giving them the ‘Kak M’ audio," he said.
He explained that after the school investigated whether the audio was genuine, he also asked police to confirm the identity of the student mentioned.
"I would like to stress that Kak M was not the first person who saw Zara Qairina lying on the ground. Why was she criticised? Why was her face made viral? She is a good student who excels every year in Quran memorisation. If she was not there, maybe Zara Qairina would have lost her life sooner. But this is what she got," he said, his voice trembling.
The warden further broke down as he recalled his own efforts to save the teenager.
"I called 991, I called the ambulance, I waited at the hospital. I was with Zara Qairina’s mother at the emergency ward, I visited Zara on July 17, I was there when they removed the machines, I led prayers and followed to the burial. Yet we are accused of a cover-up. There is nothing we hid … we informed everything, including the audio recordings," he said.
Azhari also noted that two weeks before the incident, his wife was finally transferred to the school after years apart.
"But after this case, our family has been attacked.
"I knew Zara Qairina, I taught her. She was in my class. I even reminded her class to cover their aurat properly, and later I saw them wear white hand socks. That is why I read her diary, I know what she went through. All the audio, I gave to the police. If we wanted to hide, why would we give it up? Zara Qairina’s parents never complained before. No reports at all. Only after," he said.
The inquiry continues.
