"Why did you bring him here?"
This was one of the questions allegedly posed by a teacher to a student who rushed to the aid of 15-year-old K Yashovan after his fatal fall in school last Tuesday.
The fourth former at the school in Bandar Kinrara, Puchong, claimed that the teachers failed to react quickly to help his schoolmate.
"One of the teachers even asked why I brought him to their room, so I told the teacher, 'Where else do you want me to take him, to your house is it'?" he said.
The student's identity has been withheld as he is still a minor.
The student related the incident to Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) commissioner N Siva Subramaniam today at Yashovan's house, which is located next to the school.
"I was walking when I heard a loud noise. I rushed out and saw Yashovan's body sticking out of a sewerage manhole," said the 16-year-old student.
"I grabbed hold of his legs and pulled him out. He was struggling to breathe. I then called out to several other boys and they helped me carry him to a room," he added.
The student claimed that there were several teachers in the room and one of them was allegedly more concerned about why his shirt was not tucked in.
"I got angry and told the teacher that this boy is hurt and you are asking me about my shirt. They then told me to put him on the floor. They were more interested in taking down a report on the incident than helping him. For a long time, they did nothing," he alleged.
Following this, the teachers allegedly summoned the school's Red Crescent Society members to 'massage' Yashovan.
"I asked why they are not calling an ambulance, and one of them told me that a doctor from a nearby clinic is coming to check him.
"Only when the doctor could not help him, was the ambulance called and it took a long time, nearly more than an hour, before the ambulance arrived," said the student.
The student also claimed that repair works to upgrade the safety of the school were carried out after Yashovan's fall.
"The repair works were done by a teacher and the school's workers," he said.
Suhakam may hold inquiry
The student also described Yashovan (photo) as a well-behaved student. "He is not mischievous, he is a very quiet boy."
Yashovan died at Hospital Kuala Lumpur two days after the incident without regaining consciousness. He had suffered serious head injuries.
Meanwhile, Siva said he will raise the issue with Suhakam chairperson Abu Talib Othman to decide on whether a public inquiry should be held into the case.
"If a public inquiry is held, it will be Suhakam's first concerning the death of a child in relation to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
"Suhakam is focusing on the safety of children. We are concerned that such things can happen, but we should be careful not to prejudge anybody," he added.
After speaking to Yashovan’s parents this morning, Siva said many questions needed to be answered by the school authorities.
"There is an issue of competency, concerning the handling of such emergencies. It is a simple issue of children's safety.
"The first thing the school should have done is to call a hospital and not a private doctor. This is common sense," he said.
"We also want to look into the allegation that repair works to improve the safety in the school were done after the incident," he added.
Siva said Yashovan's parents only want to know the truth. "Why didn't the school give them a proper explanation. In the interest of the children, everything must come out into the open."
The Suhakam commissioner will also meet with the school authorities, the doctor who treated Yashovan and look into why the ambulance had arrived late.
'What is there to hide?'
Earlier, Siva held an emotionally charged discussion with Yashovan's parents and family members.
The deceased's father B Kesavan, 55, stressed that this was not a racial issue. "We just want to know the truth as we have been given different versions of the incident."
"I want to know what happened to my only child, and why the school did not act fast enough to help him," added his wife G Shobana, 52, amidst tears. "I don't want this to happen to other parents, I don't want them to go through what we are going through."
Kesavan also claimed that the ambulance driver had told him that the school authorities did not give him proper directions, resulting in the late arrival.
Yashovan was first taken to the Serdang Hospital before being transferred to Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
Yashovan's uncle A Presnath, 36, asked why the school did not furnish the family with a proper explanation.
"When I went to the school, they locked the gate and insisted that only the parents can come, they refused to see me," he said, to which Siva replied: "It's rubbish that they would only want to see the parents, what is there to hide?"
Ministry launches probe
Presnath reiterated that the family is in the dark as to what happened to Yashovan. "We don’t know if it was foul play or an accident?"
Last week, Presnath had lodged a police report on the incident, among others, stating that the family suspects foul play.
Previously, Yashovan had complained of being bullied and even assaulted by some of his schoolmates. He had also asked his father to transfer him to a different school.
"We lodged a police report on this and even raised the matter with the headmaster," Presnath (photo: Right) told Siva.The police have classified the case as sudden death and investigations are ongoing while the Education Ministry has also launched a probe.
Yesterday, Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said he viewed the incident very seriously.
"I have directed my deputy Noh Omar, parliamentary secretary P Komala Devi and Selangor state education director Hamidah Nordin to conduct a thorough investigation," he said.
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