Student Group Calls For UUM, Ministry To Take Responsibility For Vinosiny’s Death
The Student Progressive Front UUM said the university must take students’ safety on campus seriously.
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Student activist group Student Progressive Front UUM (SPFUUM) has issued a statement urging Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and the Higher Education Ministry to take responsibility for S Vinosiny’s death from electrocution on campus grounds in Sintok, Kedah.
SPFUUM said both the university and the Higher Education Ministry must pay attention to campus safety issues and take proactive and preventive measures, as well as maintain campus facilities on a regular basis, to ensure student safety.
They claimed that it’s undeniable that UUM campus facilities are old and rarely maintained, which has posed a high safety risk to students.
SPFUUM accused the university authorities of seemingly trying to “brush the issues under the carpet” despite the risks posed to students, referring to UUM issuing a gag order on its students to prevent them from discussing the circumstances of Vinosiny’s death.
READ MORE: UUM Issues Gag Order On Students, Promises No Cover-Up In Vinosiny’s Death
The student group also pointed out that the Coroner’s Court on 25 January 2023 ruled that Vinosiny died from an electric shock. On 16 February 2023, the Kedah police chief revealed that the autopsy report on 22 May 2022 also stated that the victim died from electrocution.
The forensic doctor found visible burn marks on the victim’s face and right hand, indicating that the victim might be hit by a high voltage.
SPFUUM questioned why the autopsy report stating the cause of death was issued a day after the incident but the police delayed disclosing their report until this year.
The student group believed that the delay and what they allege as a lack of transparency, have left many students in the university open to safety risks.
SPFUUM also mentioned that the police said Vinosiny suffered from myocardial fibrosis, which could be fatal with a low-voltage electric shock. However, SPFUUM asserts that her death would not have happened anyway if there was no electrical leakage in her dormitory room.
Although the Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin has repeatedly said the ministry takes the issue of campus safety seriously, SPFUUM questioned his lack of response about the case updates in Parliament.
READ MORE: No News On Vinosiny’s Death 9 Months Later, Here’s What We Know So Far
Before Vinosiny’s death, SPFUUM said Inasis Maybank on campus caught on fire on July 2021. The fire was suspected to be caused by a short circuit.
Last but not least, SPFUUM said if the university and the Higher Education Ministry are serious about taking care of students’ safety, a tragedy like Vinosiny’s untimely death would have been avoided.
Based on all the reasons listed in their statement, SPFUUM supports Vinosiny’s family to file a civil suit against those who have failed to do their duty in the case.
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