KUALA TERENGGANU: A group of 26 students who went on a bullying spree at a vocational college here were arrested after three of their juniors claimed they were assaulted.
Two of victims ended up hospitalsed after sustaining serious injuries in the attacks between 10.30pm on Monday and 1.30am on Tuesday at the Wakaf Tembusu Vocational College in Kuala Nerus.
Of the three 16-year-old boys, two of them were also allegedly forced to perform oral sex by their assailants who were their seniors at the college.
Following police investigations into the attacks, 26 students were arrested yesterday while all three victims were warded at the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Batu Burok.
Terengganu education, science, technology and transformation committee chairman Abdul Latiff Awang said the first attack by a group of 11 was on Muhammad Luqman Hakim Mohd Shukri at about 10.30am.
“Three hours later at 1.30am on Tuesday, Ahmad Zikrill A’zim Hasbullah was assaulted by 15 seniors,” he said.
“His close friend Wan Ahmad Faris Wan Zakaria, who intervened when he heard Zikrill’s screams, was also assaulted by the same bullies,” he said. Zikrill, a state junior bowler, was critically wounded in the attack and was warded at the Intensive Care Unit.
Latiff said he was very disappointed with the incidents with Terengganu, having a total of 230,000 students, recording 16 serious cases for the first eight months this year.
“Bullying, whether physically, mentally, via social media or other means can be traumatic to the victims and have a severe effect on their health.
“This has to stop. Although many cases appear to be insignificant, we do not want it to become a trend and spill-over to a more serious issue,” he said.
Zikrill’s parents lodged a report at the district police headquarters at about 3.30pm two days ago.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Idris Abdul Rafar confirmed the case.
It is learnt that Zikrill’s seniors bound him and the other victim with blankets, before repeatedly beating the duo with blunt objects.
The seniors had resorted to the drastic action after being displeased with the duo’s behaviour for refusing to take food from the canteen.
Zikrill, a first semester student studying electronics technology, is said to have fainted twice after being heavily bruised all over the body from the beatings.
When met at the hospital ward, Ahmad said that he was awakened by screams from Zikrill following the beating and had gone to investigate.
“I discovered that Zikrill’s face was covered with a blanket as they bashed him haplessly.
“The seniors then dragged me to be also beaten up for being a busy body and I later vomited,” said Ahmad.
According to fellow students at the college, the victims were also forced to perform oral sex as punishment and the seniors warned others not to interfere or report the matter.