Father of late Zulfarhan expresses disappointment over persistent bullying at UPNM
He made these comments in response to the case of a first-year UPNM student who had reportedly been injured and was believed to have been bullied.
KUALA LUMPUR - The father of the late Zulfarhan Osman, a Cadet Officer at the Universiti Pertahanan Nasional (UPNM), Zulkarnain Idros, expressed his disappointment that bullying had persisted at the university.
Zulkarnain said he was saddened to learn that the incident involving his son, which tragically ended his life, was still recurring with other students.
"I thought the case involving my late son was the last, but apparently, there are still other incidents happening at UPNM," he said when contacted by Sinar on Monday.
He made these comments in response to the case of a first-year UPNM student who had reportedly been injured and was believed to have been bullied.
Zulkarnain further stated that a long-term plan was necessary to address the bullying issue.
"It cannot be resolved with immediate actions," he added.
He suggested that, for instance, school principals or teachers should have been given the authority to administer corporal punishment, such as caning, to students who committed disciplinary offences.
"The punishment of caning does not have to result in injury; it should merely serve as a lesson and help discipline the students.
"This action was hoped to improve student discipline so that bullying incidents would not recur in college dormitories or universities," he added.
Zulkarnain also proposed that the government create a specific law to address bullying cases.
"This specific law could have helped prevent bullying incidents," he said.
The country was shocked by the tragic death of UPNM cadet officer Zulfarhan on June 1, 2017, who had been tortured and bullied.
Most of his body parts had been repeatedly pressed with a hot steam iron.
Most recently, another bullying incident occurred involving a first-year UPNM student, who suffered rib and spinal fractures, believed to have been caused by a senior student stepping on him.
The incident took place on Oct 21, just a day before another student from the same university suffered burns after being pressed with an iron by a senior student.
Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa was reported saying that the 19-year-old male student had suffered injuries after being stepped on by a third-year trainee at the university.
"To date, nine individuals have been questioned, and the suspect was expected to appear at the Cheras District Police Headquarters (IPD) that afternoon to give a statement," he said.
