Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) students who were at the receiving end of a mob's harassment during their campus orientation week last month today urged the university's authority to reveal the report into the incident to demonstrate fairness and transparency.

UPM's Student Progressive Front (SPF) members, who were heckled, manhandled and verbally abused by students from the rival UPM Students Representative Council, said they believed the report was skewed as the relevant questions had not been asked by the committee set up tp probe the affair.

Speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, SPF member Ooi Tze Min said the investigation body, which was formed by the university authorities without consultation, could also not be deemed to be independent.

"I was not asked about the harassment at all. Instead, I was asked questions like 'Why are you disliked by the university' and 'Why did SPF not register'," he said.

Ooi also noted that the five students from SPF who were harassed by the mob have received letters requesting them to attend a meeting with the university authorities.

"They are me, Lye Che Yee, Chew Siew Fong, Lim Sok Swan and Kam Poay Hua. We are to attend the meeting tomorrow at 3pm," said.

Violence denied

In two separate frays on July 17, dozens of the 'pro-establishment' students - who are backed by campus authorities - had manhandled fellow students perceived to be from the rival 'independent' camp.

On both occasions, the 'independent camp' students from (SPF) were setting up a 'help counter' at the canteen to assist newly-enrolled students when they were stopped by pro-establishment students who pushed, heckled and scolded them. See video .

Several quarters have lambasted UPM for allowing a 'thug culture' to pervade its campus and the use of intimidation tactics to rein in students who chose not to join its pro-establishment student representative council.

UPM, on July 24, then set up a committee to investigate the incident and furnish a report. However, on Aug 18, UPM Vice-chancellor, Prof Dr Nik Mustapa R Abdullah announced that following the committee's report, no action would taken against the unruly students and that no violence was involved in the incident.

Absolute power

Also present at today's press conference was UPM student cum trainee reporter from Merdekareview, Chew Siew Fong, who was alleged by Nik Mustapa to have slipped and fallen on her own accord during the scuffle thus damaging her camera.

Chew reiterated that she had told the committee no such thing and that her camera fell and broke after her camera was pulled from behind by a member of the mob.

"The university has said that they will not be paying me any compensation for the damaged camera as I cannot identify who is the student and which faculty he or she is from,"she said.

All the six students also disagreed with the committee's report which stated that the fracas had not caused any injuries.

Meanwhile, student activist body Solidarity Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM) President Mohamad Rifauddin expressed his full support for the SPF students' request that the investigating committee's report be revealed to them.

He said UPM's investigation was not independent due to the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA) which allows the vice-chancellor to exercise his absolute power over any kind of investigation.

"UPM's investigating committee was set up only for the purpose of protecting their own interest [...] the body consisted only of lecturers from the university," said Rifauddin who was present at the press conference.