Muhammad Najib Mohd Razi, 23, said the incident began when he was heading to bed in room 4-10, at the Jebat Hostel Block, UPNM, at 5am on May 22, 2017.
He added the sixth accused, Abdoul Hakeem Mohd Ali, prevented him from heading to bed and asked him where he had come from.
“I replied I had been revising my studies at room 4-11, after which he asked me to ‘do it once’.
“At the same time, suddenly, someone gave me the steam iron and I held it. I was about to turn to face Hakeem when Zulfarhan screamed and I was shocked. I let go of the iron on the study table.
“After that, I asked Hakeem for permission to go to bed and he allowed me,” he said, during examination-in-chief by his lawyer, Ranjit Singh Dhillon, before Judge Azman Abdullah.
Prior to the incident, Najib said between 1am and 4.30am on the same day, he was not involved in the questioning of Zulfarhan about the disappearance of a laptop belonging to the first accused in room 4-10.
He said he did not cause any harm that could have led to the victim’s death between 4.45am and 5.40am on the same day.
To a question by Judge Azman on who gave the steam iron to him, the accused said he did not notice.
“I saw Zulfarhan in the room (4-10). He was sitting on the floor,” he said, when asked by the judge on whether Zulfarhan was in the room at the time and what his condition was.
Najib admitted that he did not lodge a police report on Hakeem’s actions.
Meanwhile, when cross-examined by deputy public prosecutor Julia Ibrahim, on what was meant by “do it once” by Hakeem, Najib replied he did not know.
The accused also disagreed with Julia that Hakeem ordered him and five other accused to apply the steam iron to the victim’s body.
On July 31, the High Court ordered 18 UPNM students to enter their defence on charges of murdering and injuring Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain on May 22, 2017.
Five of them, comprising Muhammad Akmal, Muhammad Azamuddin Mad Sofi, Najib, Muhammad Afif Najmudin Azahat and Mohamad Shobirin Sabri, are charged with murder under the Penal Code which carries a mandatory death sentence.
Hakeem was charged with abetting in Zulfarhan’s murder, while 12 others were ordered to enter their defence on charges of injuring the victim.
They are Mohd Hafiz Fauzan Ismail, Mohamad Lukhmanul Hakim Mohd Zain, Ahmad Shafwan Berdal, Muhammad Amirul Asraff Mala, Luqman Hakim Shamsuri, Muhammad Sufi Mohd Mustapha, Noriznan Izzairi Noor Azhar, Muhamad Ashraf Abdullah, Muhammad Danial Firdaus Azmir, Muhammad Hasif Ismail, Muhammad Adib Iman Fuad Adi Sany and Mohamad Syazwan Musa.
Hearing continues on Dec 3 and 4.