KUALA LUMPUR: Two former fully residential school students revealed that they were subjected to severe form of bullying after having forced to execute a rigorous plank with arm support move, commonly dubbed as the "commando rests."
The ex-students also claimed that there were gangs operating within the school, with groups like 6 Jahanam, 6 Azazil, and 7 Malaikat Maut, which fostered bullying, theft, smoking, and violence among students.
One ex-student who wanted to be known as Fakhrul, said that he could not tolerate the humiliation and bullying from his seniors.
"I was isolated and forced to stay alone in the toilet. That's not all, my face was submerged in a bucket of water while I performed the exercise, they really wanted me to drown.
"They also made me do the tombstone exercise while pressing and kicking my stomach with boots," he told Sinar Harian.
A tombstone exercise refers to a core workout where you lie on your back and perform leg raises.
It is also often used to describe a tough endurance drill designed to simulate stressful, high-stakes scenarios.
Fakhrul also said: "I had to endure the pain for 40 minutes, and there were red marks on my body. The bruises took a long time to heal."
"The senior students said they were punishing me for being rude, even though I had never raised my voice at them. They just made up an excuse to target me," he added.
Bullying deaths in Malaysia have become a significant concern in recent years, drawing attention to the growing issue of school violence and the need for stronger anti-bullying measures.
The deaths of T. Nhaveen and Navy cadet officer Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain received widespread media coverage in 2017.
Their deaths become a hot topic on social media both nationally and internationally.
Fakhrul also that said he was required to perform excessive military-style exercises, such as headstands, during which he was repeatedly kicked in the ribs by a senior.
He said he had once been given the opportunity to hold a rank by Form 5 seniors in an attempt to pepetuate the culture of bullying.
But Fakhrul declined to accept the "bullying" post.
The rank, he said, gave the seniors the power to make juniors perform grueling exercises, such as sit-ups, commando rests, squat jumps and knuckle push-ups for up to two hours on the hard tar surface.
Fakhrul said each week, a group, usually from the fifth year, was on duty, but they made the fourth-year students do the work and punished them if they complained.
"I was very stressed at that time. I didn't get enough rest or sleep, which left me drained in class. My exam results deteriorated and eventually, I decided to leave (the school).
"Now, I study at a regular day school. Alhamdulillah, it's much more peaceful compared to before," he said.
Meanwhile, another former student, Naim, alleged that his Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP) was influenced by underground groups that encouraged stealing, smoking, and physical violence.
He claimed that Form 5 seniors would recruit Form 4 students to join the groups as 'buddies', continuing the tradition of bullying.
He named 6 Jahanam, 6 Azazil, and 7 Malaikat Maut as some of the secret groups he was aware of, though he suspected there were others that remained undiscovered.