KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 ― A tahfiz school association claimed that the schoolboy whose legs were amputated after becoming necrotic from alleged abuse was only beaten on one foot.

Local daily New Straits Times (NST) reported Gabungan Persatuan Institusi Tahfiz Al-Quran Kebangsaan (Pinta) president Mohd Zahid Mahmood Al-Hafiz as saying his association had visited the 11-year-old victim’s school in Johor and managed to view surveillance footage of one incident allegedly involving an assistant warden using a water hose.

"At this point, we believe other factors could have caused the boy’s condition,” Zahid was quoted saying.

"There is no need to point fingers at anybody just yet. It is not right to label all religious schools as being abusive to their students when there is no response from the other party,” he added.

The boy was allegedly beaten on March 24 together with 14 other pupils at the private Islamic school dormitory in Kota Tinggi.

He was admitted to the Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor Baru on April 19, and had both legs amputated on Saturday. He is scheduled to have his right arm removed this morning, after the limb became necrotic on Sunday.