Zara inquest: Mother tells Coroner’s Court of concerns over alleged 'immoral influence'

 

KOTA KINABALU: A housewife told the Coroner’s Court on Monday that she was deeply concerned over what she described as an “immoral influence” after her daughter allegedly witnessed inappropriate conduct involving Zara Qairina Mahathir and one of her roommates.

The 62nd deponent said in her witness statement that her daughter, referred to as Student A, told her she had seen the roommate allegedly sniff Zara’s private part early in the morning and later saw Zara alone with the same roommate in the bathroom after they were earlier seen joking and getting physically close.

She said her daughter, who had never witnessed such behaviour before, was confused and questioned her about it, adding that she reported the matter to Ustaz Azhari due to her concern over the alleged influence.

The deponent further testified that after a few weeks in the hostel, her daughter once called her in tears and under extreme stress, complaining of being verbally attacked, scolded, insulted and slandered by her roommates, whom she identified as Zara and the same roommate, and alleged that seniors had also scolded her and forced her to interact with them.

She also criticised the handling of complaints by the ustaz and wardens between March and July, alleging a lack of transparency and investigation, and said that while her daughter was initially bullied by Zara, their relationship improved from April after Zara was said to have changed and expressed repentance. - dailyexpress