Cover-up or tragic fall? Malaysia wants answers after student’s death

When Zara Qairina Mahathir’s body was found in a drain outside her school dormitory in Malaysia last month, the official explanation only prompted more questions, both from her grieving family and many others.

The 13-year-old was pronounced dead on July 17, a day after she had been found unconscious outside her Islamic school’s dormitory building in Sabah’s Papar district.

Preliminary police findings suggested she fell from the third floor of her school building, but the precise circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear – fuelling suspicions of a cover-up and prompting a categorical denial from the state governor’s office regarding any alleged involvement.

Her family have accused authorities of rushing to close the case, noting that no postmortem examination was conducted. This omission has not only deepened their grief, but also intensified speculation online about possible foul play.

Rumours of bullying and allegations of high-level interference have swept social media, with unverified claims that influential figures sought to obscure the truth. State officials have firmly denied such accusations.