DAP Youth (Dapsy) has urged Education Minister Musa Mohamad to immediately launch a probe into the midnight raid on four female students' rooms in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) last Thursday.

Dapsy national secretary Loke Siew Fook said the minister should investigate and clarify the matter publicly within a week.

"Failing this, we will lodge a report with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) on the basis of protecting the students' rights," he said in a statement.

"It is unbecoming for the university authorities to misuse their powers to raid students' rooms as (and when) they like. It is nothing short of a violation of students' (right to) privacy."

In that incident related by sources, malaysiakini reported that the four female students were accused of plotting subversive activities and allegedly interrogated after the six-member raiding party, comprising four men and two women, ransacked their rooms between midnight and 3am.

It was unclear if the students had breached any of the university regulations, said Loke, but added that this was a very serious matter that warrants the ministry's immediate attention.

Treated like criminals

Describing the raid as "an act of intimidating the students", he said it had also embarrassed the students who were "treated like criminals who have committed a serious crime".

"In any event, the authorities should not be granted any policing powers as even the police need a warrant from the magistrate before they can raid a house."

He believed the act clearly showed that the UPM authorities were trying to clamp down on dissenting views among the students.

"They particularly tried to wipe out those voices which were sympathetic towards the opposition in the run-up to the annual campus election."

Nomination day for this year's election is Saturday while the elections are scheduled for Sept 4.

Loke said the UPM should place their whole emphasis on improving the academic standards of the university.

In July, a students movement handed a memorandum to Suhakam calling for the removal of several clauses in the controversial Universities and University Colleges Act because they "restricted analytical thinking" of varsity students.