GEORGE TOWN, June 14 — T. Nhaveen was no stranger to bullying.
The 19-year-old was beaten until he fell into coma and is now fighting for his life at Penang Hospital. Police said he was also sodomised.
Five suspects believed to have assaulted him have been placed under extended remand yesterday.
Police said Nhaveen, from Taman Tun Sardon, Bukit Gelugor, was allegedly attacked when he and his friend T. Previin, 19, ran into two former school bullies at a burger stall in the neighbourhood on Friday.
They were eventually cornered by a group of six, who attacked them with crash helmets, sticks and shoes. Previin managed to escape and inform Nhaveen’s family members.
The victim’s supermarket co-workers told Malay Mail yesterday Nhaveen often told them about being intimidated by his former school bullies. Threats, intimidation and sometimes abusive language was used on him and this continued into his working life.
“There were even intimidating messages on his handphone from these bullies,” Nhaveen’s colleague, who declined to be named, said.
“But he would simply brush them off.”
A female colleague said Nhaveen always talked about the hardship his single mother, who works at a factory, faced.
“Nhaveen adores his mother. He is timid and has a shy disposition. Perhaps his quiet demeanour allowed others to think they could get the better of him and bullied him,” she said.
Penang Hindu Association deputy president P. Murugiah said gangsterism should not be allowed to flourish in schools.
“This incident would not have happened if the schools were strict on discipline,” he said.
Murugiah said the school system needed to be upgraded with more police presence and closer rapport between community leaders and schools.
Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer visited the Nhaveen’s family at the hospital and assured assistance in the wake of his medical condition.
Nhaveen wanted to study music and be a composer. He was supposed to leave for Kuala Lumpur this week to further his education in music at the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology.
* Editor's note: The print version of this story had an error which has since been corrected here.
