GEORGE TOWN, Feb 21 — The mother of the late soldier, Trooper K. Indiran, has urged the public to stop speculating about her son’s death, which could tarnish the image of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF).

S. Usha, 52, said her eldest son, one of four siblings, was neither bullied nor abused, and the postmortem results showed no physical injuries.

“When I received the shocking news that my son was in critical condition, I feared the worst. But the postmortem confirmed he (Indiran) had not been bullied, beaten, or harmed.

“His physical condition was perfectly normal. So don’t tarnish the Armed Forces with false bullying claims. We’ll have to wait for the investigation,” she told reporters at her home in Taman Sri Nibong early this morning.

Usha said further internal investigations, including tests to pinpoint Indiran’s cause of death, are underway and expected to take three to four months.

She said Indiran was healthy when he joined the armed forces, so his death came as a shock, adding that the family has accepted his passing.

Usha said tough training in the military is normal, but should not be mistaken for bullying.

“His late father served in the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and went through tough training. Indiran said the drills were hard and demanding, but that’s normal to test endurance, not bullying or beating him until he bled,” she said.

Usha said losing two loved ones during service has been deeply painful, but she would not stop her children, particularly her 17-year-old third child, from joining the uniformed forces.

Earlier, grief filled the home as the MAF vehicle carrying Indiran’s body arrived at 1.45am for a final tribute. He is expected to be laid to rest beside his father at Batu Lanchang Indian Cemetery around 2pm today.

The late Indiran was the son of Major C. Kayamboo, an RMAF pilot who died in 2016 when his Beechcraft B200T crashed near the munitions terminal at RMAF Butterworth, Penang.

On February 18, Indiran, 22, who was taking an Armour crew course at Kem Batu 10 in Kuantan, Pahang, was found unconscious and rushed to Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, where he died the next day. — Bernama