UUM Student Found Dead In Hostel Room From Alleged Electrocution, Father Seeks Futher Explanation
Last Saturday (21 May), a 20-year-old accounting student died in her hostel room at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) in Sintok, Kedah.
The deceased, S Vinosiny is alleged to have suffered a fatal electric shock, which her relatives claim can be proved by the injuries on her body and post-mortem observations.
As authorities conduct their analyses at the campus, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) has pledged that there will be no cover-ups or deceit regarding death of the young girl.
Six officers from the Energy Commission as well as the police, according to a statement issued by the university’s corporate communications unit, have also visited the hostel grounds.
Besides that, Vice-Chancellor Haim of UUM, Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah was quoted in the same statement as declaring that the campus administration would cooperate fully and not suppress any details of the incident.
“UUM will persist with investigations because the pupil is a member of the university’s large extended family.
“Members of the public are encouraged to abstain from making assumptions about the event and to allow authorities to undertake their investigation to determine the cause of death,” he said.
Harian Metro also reported earlier today that Kubang Pasu district police had yet to identify the cause of Vinosiny’s death and were awaiting the autopsy results.
So far, the case has been classified as sudden death. Rodzi Abu Hassan, the district police chief, confirmed receiving a report on the student’s demise.
S Vinosiny was a fourth-semester student, who had just returned to campus a week before the tragic event. Because of the pandemic, she had previously been studying online.
“I sent her back to campus on May 14, and now she has left us forever,” her father, R Sivakumar, said of the grave matter.
A distressed Sivakumar told reporters that the UUM management team contacted him at 3 pm last Saturday to say his daughter had fallen and lost consciousness. He also stated that they notified him of the incident in a vague manner and did not clarify what had truly transpired.
When he questioned whether there was any indication that his daughter, who also suffered from epilepsy, may still be alive, they simply told him she had died.
“I can’t verify the situation in the dormitory because it’s now inaccessible. Her phone was also still locked in the room. The cops only gave me her wallet and ID card,” he elaborated.
R Sivakumar also voiced his concerns in trying to unravel the truth and stated that he would fight for permission to learn more about his child’s death because there was no clear description.
When the physician showed him the deceased’s body at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, he noticed burn marks on his daughter’s face and right hand, as well a blackish-purple tinge on her fingers.
Her funeral was held in Klang on Tuesday morning (24 May).
UUM has since released a statement communicating its grief over what happened.
The university asserted that the cause of death had not been confirmed yet, and that it is still awaiting the hospital’s complete autopsy report. It have also vowed to provide adequate support to ease the burden on the Vinosiny’s family.
Meanwhile, netizens took to social media platforms in response to the matter, voicing that the university was to blame due to its faulty facilities and general negligence following the case.
Most of them noted the importance of gaining full disclosure regarding the case as it will help curb speculations and potentially even prevent similar instances.
Others have used their platforms to call more attention to the case, urging authorities to take swift action and update the public with accurate facts, expressing that the police are wasting time while the case grows bigger.
Photos of S Vinosiny have also gone viral online, with the hashtag #JusticeforVinosiny accompanying mournful messages.
Additionally, Hindu Agamam Ani Malaysia, a local NGO, is conducting its own investigation into the incident.
Its president, Arun Dorasamy, informed Free Malaysia Today (FMT) that the group is on a fact-finding quest in Kedah on behalf of the victim’s family.
“We (Hindu Agamam) would like to make certain that no stories go untold, and ensure that everything is revealed,” he was quoted as saying, adding that the NGO had already conversed with several parties about the mishap and promised to share its findings with the authorities.