KOTA KINABALU, Sept 17 — The head warden of SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha told the Coroner’s Court that he had instructed hostel wardens to restrict the use of public telephones “only for a day” on July 16, to prevent unverified news from spreading and to avoid worrying parents.
Testifying on the eighth day of the inquest, 31-year-old Azhari Abdul Sagap said he had sent a message in a WhatsApp group with wardens and security guards instructing them not to allow students to make phone calls on the day 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir was found unconscious at the school dormitory.
“I told the warden WhatsApp group personally, I said ‘haramkan pelajar membuat panggilan telefon hari ini’ (forbid students from making phone calls today). But I didn’t say to switch off the power,” he explained under questioning by conducting officer Mohd Fairuz Johari.
“I didn’t want parents at home to worry about their children in the hostel, and I didn’t want unverified news (berita tidak sahih) to get out,” he said when asked why he gave such an instruction.
Azhari stressed that the order was only for July 16.
When asked whether the closure of public phones within the school compound was due to his directive, Azhari replied that it may have been a matter of interpretation by a security guard who had testified earlier.
“I guess that is Auntie Linah’s understanding. I didn’t say anything about the 17th,” he said, referring to previous witness Linah Mansoding.
He added that in emergencies, students were still able to contact their parents through teachers.
“There were children who were allowed home because they were sick, and one student whose grandmother was dying was also allowed home,” Azhari said.
Azhari, who has been one of the key figures in the inquest, told the court he had been occupied moving between the school, hospital, police station, Zara Qairina’s home and the cemetery.
He said a small number of parents had requested their children’s release from the hostel.
“As far as I know, on the 17th night, there were some not allowed to go home. But if a student was sick or in an emergency, they could go home,” he said.
Last week, Linah testified that six public phones in the school’s hostels were “switched off” in the two days after Zara Qairina’s body was found, and that frightened students were not allowed to return home.
The inquest continues tomorrow, September 18.
