KUALA LUMPUR — Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir is waiting to receive reports on the recent death of a cadet with Universiti Teknologi Mara’s(UiTM) Reserve Officer Training Unit (Rotu) after the victim was allegedly physically abused during an unscheduled training session.
Zambry, when asked by media today about Muhammad Amir Rusyaidi Muhammad Zaidi’s death on Nov 13, said he would have to wait for official reports from the authorities before commenting, The Star reported him saying after an event in Putrajaya today.
Amir Rusyaidi’s death was reported by Malaysiakini which sighted a police report by the cadet’s father, Muhammad Zaidi Abdul Rahman, who said his son had been subjected to various forms of physical abuse.
These acts included being stepped on the chest, being made to move like a horse with someone riding on his back, and kangaroo jumps.
Amir Rusyaidi was reportedly made to perform these acts during an unscheduled training session on Nov 10.
His father in the police report said the cadet fainted, and was then left under the sun for at least 30 minutes. He was then brought to the Shah Alam Hospital by a coach.
The father also claimed that he was told about the acts his son was made to perform during training by his son’s friend after the body’s burial was completed.
The incident follows two cases of bullying and physical assault in October at another institution, the National Defence University (UPNM).
On Oct 22, a junior cadet suffered burns after a fourth-year senior pressed a hot steam iron on the victim’s chest several times. The senior, Amirul Iskandar Norhanizan, 22, has been charged and pleaded not guilty to voluntary causing hurt.
Another case at UPNM, on Oct 21, involved a first-year cadet who suffered fractured ribs and spinal injuries after he was repeatedly stomped on by a third-year senior. – November 27, 2024