While it welcomed today’s court decision to convict and sentence six students from the National Defence University (UPNM) for causing Zulfarhan’s death, it said the inquiry should investigate why the university did not know of the attack earlier.

“This matter is important to increase the level of safety among students and to stop a similar incident from happening in future,” said Pejuang Youth vice-chairman Nik Fathurahman Nik Rasli in a statement.

He said the inquiry should investigate the role played, or not played, by security officers or wardens at UPNM to find out if there was any negligence on the part of the university’s administration.

“Those responsible should not be let go and should be held accountable,” he said.

Nik Fathurahman noted that Zulfarhan had died “after 10 days of suffering alone in his hostel room due to the torture he went though without the knowledge of the university”.

He said this was sad and heartbreaking and added that “the people as a whole feel very sad and angry at the same time”.

Earlier today, the High Court found the six students – Muhammad Akmal Zuhairi Azmal, Azamuddin Md Sofi, Muhammad Najib Mohd Razi, Muhammad Afif Najmudin Azahat, Mohamad Shobirin Sabri and Abdoul Hakeem Mohd Ali – guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and sentenced them to 18 years’ jail each.

It also imposed a three-year jail sentence against 12 other UPNM students, who were found guilty of assaulting Zulfarhan to force him to confess to stealing a laptop.