Lawyer Student Witnesses Says No One Dared Comfort Crying Zara Qairina She Talked About Jumping From Third Floor

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This file picture shows police standing guard outside the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex, in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. — Bernama picKOTA KINABALU, Sept 29 — A Form One student told the inquest into the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir today that the girl was left distraught after a confrontation with Form Four seniors, but no one comforted her.
Counsel Rizwandean M Borhan, who is representing Zara’s family, said the seventh student witness described Zara as generally cheerful and talkative, adding that she had no personal issues with her.
Recounting the night before Zara’s fatal fall, Rizwandean said the witness testified seeing Zara being summoned to dorm A3-6 around 10.20pm to meet seniors about a missing item. Zara sat in a corner of the room and appeared afraid.
“After that, four other students entered the dorm and went straight to where Zara was sitting cross-legged on the floor.
“One of them scolded her loudly, shouting and using the word ‘sial’. Others also reprimanded her. At that time, their manner was described as ‘garang’ (fierce),” Rizwandean told reporters, recounting the witness’s testimony.
According to him, the witness said that when Zara returned, she lay on the floor crying and shouted, “Aku nda curi bah, sial” (“I didn’t steal, damn it”), referring to the theft accusations that had been thrown at her.
“The witness said Zara Qairina began crying, but none of the dorm residents dared to comfort her,” he said.
The court previously heard that Zara was asked about two wallets and about RM300 which had gone missing. 
During the confrontation, her peers also searched her bag and found a pin of the Malaysian flag which belonged to a senior student, one of those who had accused her of stealing.
The witness also suggested that Zara may have been disliked by some students because she had previously written down the names of those who skipped congregational prayers at the hostel surau, adding that she knew of Zara’s ambition to become a badar (religious prefect).
Earlier, chief warden Azhari Abd Sagap testified that Zara recorded in her purple diary the names of those who did not observe their prayers, and whether they had performed the mandi wajib (ritual purification bath).
Meanwhile, the eighth witness, a dormmate of Zara, told the court that around April Zara had asked her, “What if I jump from the third floor? Would you be sad?”
“The witness told her not to say such things, after which Zara went quiet. She was looking down from the dorm corridor in a gloomy state at the time,” said counsel Joan Goh in relating the afternoon’s proceedings.
It was also heard that Zara Qairina often slept on the carpet on the ground, instead of her bed, telling the witness she was too lazy to put on bedsheets which had to be remade meticulously every morning.
The inquest is in its 17th day and heard the 16th witness. There are 68 scheduled witnesses, including 35 underage children.
The next date of the inquest will be on October 7, to hear an expert from the Chemistry Department. - malaymail

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