Kota Kinabalu: A senior student at Zara Qairina Mahathir’s school told the Coroner’s Court that she had never heard of any serious bullying cases among female students, only of minor quarrels involving male students.
Mohd Syarulnizam Mohd Salleh, the lawyer for Zara Qairina’s mother, said the 30th child witness revealed this before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan Thursday.
The witness, who stayed in a different dormitory block, said she did not know the deceased personally but knew Zara Qairina’s close friend, a junior student.
“She described the junior as friendly but often twisted stories. There was once a misunderstanding when the student accused her of being arrogant towards the juniors,” said Syarulnizam.
He said the witness recalled confronting the junior in class in early May 2025 to ask if there was any issue between them.
The junior student denied it and swore in front of classmates that there was no problem, he added.
Syarulnizamsaid the witness noticed that the student cried, but stressed that no physical contact or violence occurred.
The witness, he added, said juniors sometimes mentioned her name because she was known to be firm, especially when reminding them to keep their dormitories clean.
“The witness said she confronted them that night to ask if they had any issue with her sister. Zara and the others stayed silent, and the witness told them not to disturb or touch her sister.
“She maintained that no violence took place,” said Syarulnizam.
He added that the court heard that this was the first and last time the witness met Zara Qairina.
On the night of July 15, the witness said she was in her own dormitory and went to bed around 11pm at a friend’s dorm.
“The witness said she had never been involved in any serious disciplinary offences, apart from minor infractions such as not wearing socks or being late to the mosque,” said Syarulnizam.
The inquest proceedings will continue today (Friday).
