Defence minister Khaled Nordin said this was necessary to curb bullying at UPNM, reiterating that his ministry would not tolerate such a culture.

He said about a quarter of the cadets at the military academy were sponsored by the defence ministry, and that the academy fell under Mindef’s purview, and not that of the higher education ministry.

“If there were such cases in the university itself, then it’s the university’s responsibility, but these cases involved the hostels of its military training academy,” he said at Wisma Pertahanan here today.

Khaled said the academy has changed its SOPs following the alleged bullying cases, with new cadets separated from their seniors. More CCTVs will also be installed at the hostel blocks.

However, he rejected a proposal that army veterans be appointed as wardens at the hostels, saying it was unnecessary.

Khaled also said there is no need to reshuffle the administration of the Military Training Academy.

Police have recorded statements from 15 people in their investigation into the latest alleged assault of a 19-year-old UPNM cadet, who is said to have suffered cracks on his ribs and spine after being stomped on by a senior.

This came after another senior cadet, Amirul Iskandar Norhanizan, 22, claimed trial last week to assaulting Salman Saiful Surash, 20, by placing a hot iron on his chest at the UPNM hostel on Oct 22.

The most prominent reported case of bullying at UPNM involved the murder of navy cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain, who was assaulted by his peers non-stop for two days in May 2017, for allegedly stealing a laptop.

In July, the Court of Appeal found six former UPNM students guilty of murdering Zulfarhan, overturning the High Court’s reduced charge for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. They were handed the death sentence.