M'sia student, 10, dies after he was found unconscious in school toilet, case reportedly investigated under anti-bullying law

A 10-year-old student has been pronounced dead on Oct. 1, after having been found unconscious at a school toilet and subsequently rushed to a private medical centre, reported Bernama.

“The victim was rushed to the medical centre by the school’s disciplinary teacher, but was later confirmed dead by the attending doctor,” a state police chief stated.

Details of the case

He confirmed that a report on the incident was received at 1:19pm while the student was receiving treatment at the medical centre.

“Based on initial reports, the child left class at 12:10pm. The student was then found unconscious on school grounds,” reported Harian Metro.

He said that the case is being investigated under the anti-bullying law found in section 507C of the Penal code, which criminalises threatening and abusive behaviour, according to the Malay Mail.

The state police chief also added: "A post-mortem procedure will be carried out today (Oct. 2) to identify the exact cause of the victim's death.”

He advised the public against spreading rumours or unverified information about the case.

Ministry of Education extends condolences

The education minister said in a Facebook post that the ministry would give the police full space to carry out their investigation transparently.

She added that the ministry’s immediate focus is on providing psychosocial and emotional support to both students and teachers at the affected school.

Second school death in a week

Unfortunately, this has been the second reported school death in Malaysia within a week.

A 9-year-old student had previously fallen into an uncovered sewage pit during a sporting event and died on Sep. 27, according to Bernama.

The case has been classified as an accident with no criminal elements found.

Top images via Harian Metro, Unsplash