Give space to authorities to probe tahfiz pupil caning - Pinta president

The National Association of Tahfiz Al-Quran Institutions (Pinta) has urged the public to give the authorities space to investigate a case involving a 11-year-old religious school student who was brutally beaten up by a hostel warden in Johor.

Its president, Mohd Zahid Mahmood said the incident had cast a negative impact on other tahfiz schools as if they were a venue for committing abuses.

"Therefore, we hope the public will allow the police and the hospital to conduct detailed investigations into the matter," he said.

He was commenting on the case involving student, Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gadaffie who sustained serious injuries after he was allegedly beaten up by an assistant hostel warden at the tahfiz school, leading to amputation of his legs at the Sultan Ismail Hospital to prevent infection.

Mohd Zahid was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony where Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak handed over an RM80 million allocation to registered pondok schools, Sekolah Menengah Agama Rakyat (SMAR) and tahfiz (religious) institutions here today.

Prior to the leg amputation, the news on Mohammad Thaqif Amin who was warded at the hospital last Wednesday became viral on social media upon experiencing pain in the legs due to the alleged assault by the assistant warden.

Commenting further, Mohd Zahid said the association was willing to provide legal aid to the assistant warden who had been remanded for four days to facilitate police investigations.

According to media reports, Mohammad Thaqif Amin's health worsened yesterday after doctors detected a blood clot on his left hand.

- BERNAMA