Student death: Let police conduct probe, says PIBG chairman

KUALA PILAH: All parties should give the authorities room to investigate the death of a Form Two student at SMK Za'ba who was believed to have been bullied.

SMK Za'ba Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) chairman Abd Malek Abd Ghani said the authorities would conduct a detailed investigation, which could take some time to ensure it was thorough.

He acknowledged that several posts about the case had appeared on social media, but said the accuracy of the information could not be confirmed.

"I urge the public to be patient as the investigation has begun, and we must all be careful about social media posts," he said when contacted this morning.

Last night, SMK Za'ba Form Two student Muhammad Idlan Fareeq Shahril, 14, died after he was found unconscious at the school hostel.

Kuala Pilah district police chief, Superintendent Muhamad Mustafah Hussin, confirmed the incident and said police would provide further details on the case soon.

Abd Malek said SMK Za'ba was a State Sports School (SSN) with 315 students.

He said the school offered football, hockey, sepak takraw, athletics, netball and archery.

"The deceased was a Form Two student involved in archery," he said.

He said that no bullying cases had been reported at the school hostel so far this year.

"However, a bullying case was reported about four years ago, and the student involved was sentenced by the court," he said.

Meanwhile, a teacher who is also a coach at the school said he was shocked by the incident.

He said the school management had instructed school staff to remain calm and allow the authorities to take further action.

"We were told to remain calm and were not allowed to issue any statements about the incident because the authorities are taking action," he said.