THE Kota Kinabalu Coroner’s Court was told on Tuesday that five students who were the last to meet Zara Qairina Mahathir and who allegedly directed abusive language at her received only verbal warnings from the school and were referred to its Guidance and Counselling teacher.
Muliati Alihuddin, 42, secretary of the Discipline Unit at SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha, said the students were not issued demerit points because Zara Qairina’s death remains under police investigation and is now before the court.
She gave the testimony as the 56th witness, answering questions from lawyer Shahlan Jufri, who represents Zara Qairina’s mother.
Muliati also confirmed that in September the school received a report of another bullying incident involving a male student who was allegedly slapped and kicked.
Two male students were subsequently suspended for a week and referred to the counselling unit.
She explained that suspensions are reserved for cases involving “touch”, meaning physical contact, whereas the matter involving the five girls did not involve any contact.
She acknowledged, however, that they had breached school regulations by holding an unauthorised meeting and using offensive language.
Reading from her witness statement, Muliati told the court that Zara Qairina’s family declined a post-mortem because they wished to expedite the burial on the same night.
She said she heard the conversation while at Hospital Queen Elizabeth on 17 July. “I and one other teacher heard her mother contact the funeral van service,” she said, adding that she had first encountered Zara Qairina when handling a sexual harassment complaint lodged by the student in March.
Zara Qairina died at Hospital Queen Elizabeth on 17 July, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory at about 4am on 16 July.
The inquest continues today. - December 3, 2025
