An 11-year-old Malaysian boy who suffered alleged abuse at an Islamic school so bad that his legs had to be amputated died on Wednesday, state news agency Bernama reported, in a case that has sparked a public outcry in the Muslim-majority country.
The boy and other children had been whipped on the legs with a water hose by an assistant warden at their Islamic religious school in the state of Johor, just north of Singapore, district police chief Rahmat Othman told Reuters.
Photos of him, legs blackened and swollen with infection, circulated online.
The boy was admitted to hospital two weeks later, slipping into a coma after doctors amputated both of his legs to prevent the spread of infection. The assistant warden was arrested on Saturday.
“We are now waiting for the medical and autopsy reports from the hospital before taking further action,” Rahmat said.
The case has prompted calls for closer scrutiny of “tahfiz” schools, where students learn to memorise the Koran.
