Head Warden Breaks Down Denies Protecting Zara S Bully Killer

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The inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir at the Coroner’s Court in Kota Kinabalu turned emotional today.
A witness broke down while expressing his sadness over criticism from netizens who accused him and the school of remaining silent and protecting the student’s alleged bully or killer.
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha head warden, Azhari Abd Sagap, 31, could not hold back his tears as he addressed the allegations on the ninth day of proceedings before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Testifying as the eighth witness, Azhari stressed that neither he nor the school had ever protected anyone, but had instead given full cooperation to the authorities by handing over all evidence and statements related to the case.
ADS“If we had intended to protect Zara’s bully or killer, I would not have told the police officer about the alleged theft incident that occurred on the night of July 15. I informed the officer before Zara’s mother lodged her second police report.
“I personally liaised with the police. Whatever the police asked for, whoever they wanted brought to Papar, I complied, including handing over the audio recording of ‘Kak M’. I was also the one who told the police the identity of ‘Kak M’,” he said.
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu MustaphaAzhari said that the teenager being referred to on social media as “Kak M” is not the real person in question.
He explained that the student who was wrongly linked is, in fact, a well-behaved pupil who has consistently excelled, frequently taking part in the school’s Quran memorisation competition and ranked among the top three students in last year’s Academic Session Final Examination.
“The accusations against this student are extremely cruel, simply because she was the first person to find Zara unconscious in the dormitory in the early hours of July 16. If not for her, what would have happened to Zara Qairina? She might have lost her life at the scene,” he said.
The testimony was given in response to questions from lawyer Abdul Fikry Jaafar, representing four minors accused in the Zara bullying case.
‘We have nothing to hide’
The witness also expressed sadness over the criticism directed at him, emphasising that he had done everything possible to save Zara and had fully cooperated with the authorities by handing over all available evidence.
“Is this what I deserve? Is this what the school deserves? We have nothing to hide. We have disclosed everything, and all of it is my responsibility. I don’t want Zara to be wronged. But right now, the school and I are the ones being persecuted.
“I was there… I waited until Zara was taken off the machine. I waited at the mortuary. I met and spoke with her mother at the hospital. I was there, at the funeral prayer, all the way to the cemetery. Is this what I deserve?” he asked.
Zara, 13, died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar at about 4am.
On Aug 8, the Attorney-General's Chambers issued an order for the exhumation of Zara’s remains to enable a post-mortem to be conducted, and on Aug 13, ordered an inquest after reviewing the police investigation report.
- Bernama

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