Boy in Malaysia left disabled after being forced to stand in sun for 3 hours
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(Third from left) Family lawyer Dinesh Muthal, Pemas chairman S, Dayalan, Ms Mogahana Selvi and her husband B. Suresh at the press conference on May 29.
PHOTO: DINESH MUTHAL/TIKTOK
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An 11-year-old boy who suffered a heatstroke on April 30 after his teacher forced him to stand in the sun for almost three hours has been left disabled.
His mother, Ms A.D. Mogahana Selvi, 35, said the Ampang Hospital in Selangor provided the family a reference letter for her son to be assessed as a person with disabilities in view of his resulting health issues.
According to Malaysian news outlet New Straits Times, the boy had been made to stand in the sun from 10am to 12.50pm, and was later rushed to hospital.
He has since been diagnosed with a nerve condition, the reports said.
Speaking to the media at a press conference on May 29, Ms Mogahana said she was upset about her child’s condition.
She said that her son used to play with his siblings often, but now he tends to hide and talk to himself.
“The hospital informed me that I can’t send my son to a regular school anymore because of his health issues. They say I have to send him to a school for special needs children now,” she said.
Her 40-year-old husband, Mr B. Suresh, their lawyer Dinesh Muthal and Malaysia-Singapore Workers Task Force chairman S. Dayalan were also present at the press conference.
On the family’s behalf, Mr Dinesh said he would be filing a civil suit against everyone involved in the case.
He said: “This incident has caused a lot of stress to the victim’s parents, especially Mogahana, who is three months into a pregnancy. They now have to come to terms with the fact that their son will never lead a normal life.
“Apart from a civil suit, we want the teacher involved to be charged in court and be given an appropriate sentence (if found guilty).”
Mr Dayalan said the authorities’ investigation into the case and action taken against the school were “unsatisfactory”.
He also highlighted three warning letters the school allegedly sent to the boy’s parents regarding his absence from May 2 to 23 while he was receiving medical treatment, reported Malaysian news outlet Says.
He said: “In that entire time, they did not discuss the issue of the boy being forced to stand in the sun with the parents.”
Ampang Jaya police chief Mohd Azam Ismail had previously said that the police had completed their investigations and handed the case papers to the deputy public prosecutor’s office for further action.
