A mother has claimed her 14-year-old son was assaulted by several senior students with a broomstick at a religious secondary school in Rompin last week, leaving the family traumatised.
Siti Rohani Yusof, 40, said she was also upset over what she described as the school’s failure to act after her son reported the alleged assault.
The mother of two said the incident happened on Sept 12, when five senior students allegedly called her son and a friend to their hostel room at about midnight.
She said the seniors initially warned the two boys against leaving the school compound without permission before allegedly blindfolding her son and assaulting him.
“Suddenly, they blindfolded my son and began punching him in the stomach, kicking his back, slapping his face and hitting him with a broomstick.
“They assaulted him for more than an hour. They even threatened to injure him with a penknife and a piece of glass,” she told reporters at her home in Bukit Rangin today.
Siti Rohani said her son subsequently informed the school management about the alleged incident, but claimed no action was taken.
She said the situation became more worrying when her son learned that the senior students were allegedly planning another assault.
On Sept 16, he reportedly used a public phone to contact his father and tell him what had happened.
Siti Rohani said she then contacted the hostel warden but was allegedly told that there was no need for her to travel to the school as the matter had already been resolved.
However, she decided to go to the school herself and was shocked to find her son’s body and hands covered in bruises.
She also claimed that the senior students allegedly involved in the incident were still moving freely around the hostel.
Siti Rohani lodged a police report on Sept 17 and took her son to hospital for a medical examination.
She said other parents subsequently told her that several children had allegedly been assaulted by the same senior students previously, but the incidents were never disclosed by the school.
“My son was forced to treat his own injuries… I am fortunate that my son is still alive.
“Concerned about my son’s safety, I told him to pack his belongings on Sept 16 and I am in the process of transferring him to another school,” she said.
Meanwhile, Rompin deputy district police chief Deputy Superintendent Mohamad Zamri Mohamad Zaber said police arrested five students after two victims lodged separate reports at about 1pm on Sept 17.
The suspects comprised three Form Five students and two Form Four students.
Mohamad Zamri said they were questioned to assist investigations under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting, which carries a maximum two-year jail term, a fine, or both upon conviction.
“Both victims sustained injuries believed to have resulted from the assault. All the suspects have been released on police bail,” he said.
