Malaysian religious studies students wait for transport to offer Friday prayers in Hulu Langat, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. An 11-year-old religious student has died after being beaten by an assistant school warden in Kota Tinggi, in Johor State. (Photo by Mohd Rasfan/AFP)
Malaysian police are investigating a religious school's assistant warden for murder, after a schoolboy died in a case that has sparked outrage.
The accused had allegedly beaten the boy, 11-year-old Mohamed Thaqif Amin Mohd Gaddafi, with a water hose, the BBC website reported.
The boy later contracted serious infections and doctors amputated his legs. He died on April 26 from complications.
The incident has prompted calls for greater scrutiny of religious schools.
In late January the boy enrolled in a privately-run Islamic school in the town of Kota Tinggi, in Johor State.
Police say that he was among a group of 15 boys beaten by the assistant warden on 24 March for making too much noise in the school's assembly building.
His mother pulled him out of the school when she visited several days later and found him looking weak, according to reports.
He was taken to the hospital three weeks later when his legs swelled up, apparently from blood clots. Doctors found he had contracted serious infections and had to amputate his legs.
They were about to amputate his right arm as well on April 26 when the boy died.
Excerpts from the boy's diary, published in Malaysian media, appear to describe systematic abuse at the school, and that if one student made an error the whole group would be punished.
Police initially arrested the assistant warden — who has not been named — for child abuse, but said they were re-classifying the case as murder after Mohamed Thaqif died.
They also disclosed that the accused was a former convict previously jailed for theft.
Prime Minister Najib Razak meanwhile has called for a speedy investigation.
Islamic authorities have said they are reassessing staff hiring guidelines for religious schools.