There should not be any attempt to cover up the alleged physical abuse of 11-year-old Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gaddafi by an assistant warden in a religious school in Johor Baru.

Malaysian Consumers Association (Maconas) president Amarjit Singh Gill said this in a statement today, following the death of Mohamad Thaqif yesterday.

Amarjit also expressed shock over the statement by Johor religious executive committee chairperson Abd Mutalip Abd Rahim that the Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAIJ) had completed its probe where the abuse took place and found no wrongdoing on the part of the school.

"The fact that Thaqif penned his thought on the abuse he suffered, there is no doubt that there was an abuse suffered by him.

"No one should try to cover up this alleged abuse just because it took place in a private Islamic religious school," Amarjit said. 

The boy had reportedly detailed his predicament in his diary and prayed his parents would allow him to be transferred out from the religious school. 

An assistant warden with the religious school, who has been remanded over the case, is a convicted felon who had served 30 months in jail for theft.

"The action of the servant is the action of the master and for that, all those who were directly and indirectly involved in the abuse of Thaqif should not be let off the hook and should face the full brunt of the law," Amarjit said. 

He also questioned how a convicted felon was allowed a job as an assistant warden in a school.

"How come none of the school teachers or the principal noticed the abuse that was happening?

"That is the problem when there is no check and balance. The Education Ministry should also have been responsible in the running of these schools and monitor who is involved in the schools," he said.

Amarjit then urged parents to be more vigilant about their children and their schools as well, to prevent a similar incident from occurring.

Separately, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) said Mohamad Thaqif's case is a "horrendous" reminder to the government that corporal punishment in schools must be eliminated.

'Ban all forms of violence against children'

Corporal punishment is a violation of a child's rights under the Convention of the Rights of the Child as it constitues violence that causes physical and mental harm, Suhakam said.

The commission called on the government to reform laws to introduce a ban on all forms of violence against children.

"Any form of physical violence against a child negatively impacts on the enjoyment of the child's many other rights and aspects of the child's development," Suhakam chairperson Razali Ismail said in a statement today.

Everyone in the education sector also play a part in keeping children safe from harm and abuse, he added.

Razali also called for a full investigation into the school authorities to identify if anyone may be criminally responsible or civilly liable for their omission to act.

"Suhakam finds it unbelievable that there are no legal procedures or a child protection policy for all schools to check on potential staff before they are allowed to work with children," he said.

Background checks, he said, must be mandatory for anyone intending to work with children.

This measure would be able to identify those with a criminal record, suggesting that they may pose a threat against children.

Mohamad Thaqif had been undergoing treatment at the Hospital Sultan Ismail before he passed away.

He had been in a comatose state, and had his legs amputated after the blood cells and tissues were destroyed by bacterial infection.

His right hand had also turned black due to the same infection, while blood clots appeared on his left shoulder and it was reported that he might lose his arm as well.

His father, Mohd Gaddafi Mat Karim, confirmed that Mohamad Thaqif passed away around 2pm yesterday.