18/10/2026
Investigate USM Student’s Death Thoroughly; USM Must Not Conceal the Truth
(Kuala Lumpur, 16 October) Regarding the unfortunate death of a 21-year-old local female university student, who fell from her hostel building at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) on 15 October, the University of Malaya Association of New Youth (UMANY) is deeply shocked and grieved. We extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family of the deceased.
The sudden loss of a young life is a great loss to her family and to society, and a heavy wake-up call on the safety of our tertiary education campuses. In response to this case, UMANY makes two strong demands of the relevant authorities and of USM:
First, the police must investigate this case rigorously, comprehensively and professionally.
Media reports say the post-mortem and the police’s preliminary investigation have found no criminal element so far, and that the case is being investigated as a sudden death report (SDR). Even so, we urge the police not to close the case hastily. They must carry out the most rigorous evidence collection and elimination of possibilities, leave no clue unexamined, and establish the true cause of the fall and the circumstances the deceased was facing before her death. The police have a duty to clarify every doubt and to reconstruct the full truth of the incident with solid evidence, so that justice is done for the deceased and her family.
Second, USM must remain absolutely transparent and must not attempt to conceal the truth.
A campus should be the safest and most reassuring place for students to study. Following this incident, USM has an unshirkable responsibility to cooperate fully with the police investigation and to update students and the public on the progress of the investigation in a timely manner. UMANY solemnly warns that the university must not, in the name of protecting the so-called “reputation of the university,” resort to hushing the matter up, blocking information or deliberately withholding the details of the incident. Any attempt to cover up the truth is not only disrespectful to the deceased, but will also deepen fear and suspicion on campus. Only by handling the crisis open
