Probe finds no malice in hair-cutting incident

An investigation has found no malice was involved in the cutting of the hair of National Service Training Programme participant Basant Singh last Sunday.

The director general of the national service training programme department Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said the investigating panel had called 16 witnesses comprising of trainees, trainers, staff and the commandant of the Seri Impian Training Camp at Sungai Bakap in Penang.

The panel – to look into the complaint by Basant Singh that his hair had been cut without his knowledge while he and ten other trainees were sleeping at the camp – consisted of director of operations of the department Col Sanusi Hashim, Commander Wan Zarihan Wan Ismail and Lt Thomas Anak Aungoom, both of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

Abdul Hadi said the panel found that no malice was intended towards 18-year-old Basant.

He said the report of the panel had been presented at the post-cabinet meeting of the Defence Ministry.

Basant said yesterday that his hair, which has not been cut since birth and which was about one metre long, had been snipped by about 60cm. – Bernama