PETALING JAYA: The 40th witness in the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir told the Coroner’s Court that her elder sister had merely tried to intimidate Zara Qairina but did not physically touch any juniors during a confrontation at the dormitory last April.
According to Sinar Harian, the 40th witness, who is also the 31st child witness, said Zara Qairina had met her and her friend to apologise for a letter containing body-shaming remarks towards her friend.
“The words used (in the letter) were ‘Sok-sok orku,’ which means mocking someone who ‘feels strong.’
“The witness said that when Zara Qairina apologised, she did not know whether Zara Qairina was the one who wrote the letter.
“However, the witness was sure that another junior student was also involved in writing the letter,” lawyer Mohd Syarulnizam Mohd Salleh told reporters outside the Kota Kinabalu courthouse on Friday (Nov 7).
He added that Form Four students were later seen advising Zara Qairina and another student not to repeat such actions.
“After being told what happened, the witness’s elder sister said to Zara, ‘You ah, if I touch you, you’re finished.’
“Other senior students then took her (the elder sister) out of the area to calm her down. At that time, the witness noticed that Zara Qairina looked scared but did not cry.
“The witness said those words were only (gertak) intimidation, and her sister did not touch any junior students.
Syarulnizam said that according to the witness, the phrase “touch” meant “like she was going to hit that person”.
He said that the witness said she learned that Zara Qairina had written a letter about her from another Form Two student.
“The witness said she had seen the letter but could not remember its contents. She added that on that night, the senior students seemed fine with Zara Qairina, and they spoke to her politely.
“However, the witness also agreed that at the time there were about nine senior students, from Forms Two and Four, in the same room as Zara Qairina and the other junior student. The witness said she never heard Zara Qairina mock her.
“She also did not know about the allegation that Zara Qairina had written mocking words about her,” he said.
He said the witness mentioned that after the incident, her relationship with Zara Qairina was ‘okay,’ and smiled whenever they met
He also said that the witnesses said that some of the Form Two students did not like Zara Qairina, but that she did not know who they were exactly.
Syarulniezam is a part of the legal team representing Zara Qairina’s mother, Noraidah Lama, as an interested party in the inquest.
Zara Qairina, 13, was confirmed dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, a day after being found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory at about 4am on July 16.
