Eight teenage students in a religious school were today charged with the murder of their schoolmate at the Sekolah Menengah Agama Datuk Klana Maamor hostel in Seremban last week.

The students, all aged 17, were alleged to have murdered Muhammad Farid Ibrahim, 16, at Dom Osman, 2nd floor, Asrama Putra at the school between 10.30am and 4.15pm on March 28.

According to Bernama , no plea was recorded and magistrate Suhaila Harun fixed April 16 for mention pending submission of the medical report.

Three of the students were represented by counsel S Anand, two separately by Raja Bardul Hisham Raja Ali and Ramzani Idris while the others were unrepresented.

'Jealousy' claim

The students were brought to the court handcuffed at about 10.20am and were seen crying while waiting for the proceedings to begin.

The courtroom was packed with their families but reporters were not allowed in on the instruction of deputy public prosecutors Roslan Abu Bakar and Suhaimi Ibrahim.

Earlier, six other students who were remanded with them, were produced in the same court and released.

Previous reports claimed that the boys had set upon Muhammad Farid because they were jealous of his academic achievements.

The victim had also reportedly complained to his parents about being bullied and had requested them to move him.

Following the assault, he was found sprawled in a toilet at the school hostel, bleeding profusely from head injuries. He died shortly after being admitted to hospital.