Military cadet's spine fractured in yet another bullying case at UPNM

• UPDATED 9.35PM | Added defence minister’s response to the latest bullying incident.

A 19-year-old military cadet suffered fractures to his spine and ribs in yet another violent bullying incident at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM).

Kuala Lumpur police chief Rusdi Mohd Isa said that in the Oct 21 incident, a third-year cadet had stomped the victim resulting in injuries.

Police only received a report on Nov 8.

What caused the incident was not stated in Rusdi's press statement.

The timing means the attack occurred just over a week before another cadet was abused with a hot iron at the same university.

Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin condemned the latest bullying case at the military academy.

He said the ministry handed over this matter to the police to complete the investigation.

“The Defence Ministry’s stance is that such incidents are inappropriate and tarnish the image of UPNM and higher education institutions.

“Therefore, my office and the Defence Ministry will provide full cooperation and attention to this matter,” he said in a statement today.

On Nov 1, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in an address to UPNM faculty and students called bullying "madness" and urged for tougher action to curb such violence.

The alleged assailant in the hot iron case was charged in court on Friday.

Bullying ending in murder

The recent bullying cases come seven years after the brutal bullying and murder of UPNM navy cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain involving a hot iron.

Zulfarhan died on June 1, 2017, at Serdang Hospital due to injuries from 90 instances of steam ironing, which left scalding burns on 80 percent of his body.

The 21-year-old was allegedly subjected to multiple assaults over his refusal to confess to stealing a laptop belonging to another student at the public university’s dorm in Kuala Lumpur between May 21 and 22 that year.

Following the incident, six former UPNM students were convicted for Zulfarhan’s murder and given the death sentence.

The six were Muhammad Akmal Zuhairi Azmal, Muhammad Azamuddin Mad Sofi, Muhammad Najib Mohd Razi, Muhammad Afif Najmudin Azahat, Mohamad Shobirin Sabri, and Abdoul Hakeem Mohd Ali.

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