The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) today called for an independent probe into the circumstances surrounding the death of 15-year-old student K Yashovan.

The form three student died yesterday due to serious head injuries sustained after he fell off the second-floor of his school building in Bandar Kinrara, Puchong, on Tuesday.

His family believes that foul play could be involved and a police report has since been lodged.

Suhakam commissioner N Siva Subramaniam said an independent probe is necessary to ensure that the public will accept the results of the investigation.

“If the probe is conducted internally, then people are less likely to believe the outcome,” he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Yesterday, Education Ministry parliamentary secretary P Komala Devi announced that she and Selangor Education Department director Hamidah Nordin will jointly head a team to probe the incident.

Long-term measures

Siva said while it is the ministry’s prerogative to conduct their own probe, it is however essential that an independent body conducts a probe as well.

He also announced that he and several Suhakam officers would be visiting the school and Yashovan’s family on Sunday for a fact-finding mission.

During the press conference, Siva, a former teacher himself, also urged the authorities to take long-term measures to ensure safety in schools.

Among the measures suggested were:

• Take reports of bullying seriously
• Install closed-circuit cameras in schools
• Limit school population to 1,500 to allow effective monitoring
• Incorporate human rights knowledge into school syllabus

“Our concern goes beyond Yashovan. All parents must be given the reassurance that their children are safe in school,” he added.

On Wednesday, Yashovan’s uncle A Presnath, 36, said that his nephew had often complained of being bullied.

Last May, the deceased’s father B Kesvan, 55, had reportedly filed a police report regarding his son’s complaints and even raised the matter with the school headmaster.

The police have classified the Yashovan's fatal fall as sudden death and investigations are ongoing.