Schoolboy, who lost both legs, dies (Updated)

JOHOR BARU: The 11-year-old student who was allegedly beaten by an assistant warden in a private religious school here on March 24 has passed away, after succumbing to his injuries.
Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Ghaddafi, who had both his legs amputated on April 22 due to the injuries, passed away at about 2.05pm at the Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI), his father Mohd Ghaddafi Mat Karim, 43, confirmed today.
He said family members were at Mohamad Thaqif's side, reciting prayers for his recovery, when he passed away.
Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Johor Permaisuri Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah expressed their condolences over Mohamad Thaqif's death.
"May his soul be blessed and he be placed among the good and the faithful," they posted on the Sultan's official Facebook page today.
Mohamad Thaqif was initially scheduled to undergo a surgery to amputate his necrotic right arm earlier this morning due to bacterial infection, but it was postponed.
Johor Health, Environment, Education and Information Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said doctors had decided against the surgery due to the boy's weak heart and highly unstable condition.
The decision to amputate his arm was made after it turned black due to damaged tissues and blood cells, with no signs of improvement shown on the affected limb.
Mohamad Thaqif, who is the third of five siblings, was admitted into the hospital on April 19 and placed at the High Dependency Ward, having sought traditional medication previously.
He had also fallen into a coma following his leg amputation.
In the incident on March 24, the victim and his classmates were allegedly assaulted with a rubber water hose by the assistant warden, who is also an ex-convict, at a tahfiz (Islamic boarding school) in Kota Tinggi, for being noisy in a mosque.
Mohamad Thaqif's mother, Felda Wani Ahmad, 40, a teacher, made the discovery of his injury after bringing him home on March 31, claiming the boy had "looked weak and worried" during her visit to the hostel.
His health condition has since deteriorated, with blood clot on his left arm and damage to his kidneys, along with his already amputated legs and the bacterial infection on his right arm.
It is however yet to be ascertained if Mohamad Thaqif had previous health conditions that contributed to the infections.
Police had said closed-circuit television recording showed that the suspect had beaten the victim and 15 other pupils.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin has called on the public to remain calm and cease speculating on Mohamad Thaqif's death, and allow the authorities to conduct their investigation.
"It will only complicate matters. Just let the authorities investigate. I, on behalf of the state government, are also saddened by Mohamad Thaqif's demise," he said in a statement today.
Meanwhile, Johor police CID chief SAC Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat told theSun that reclassification of the case to murder will depend on the post-mortem and medical reports from doctors.
Kamarul Zaman said the case was still being investigated under Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2010 that deals with abusing, neglecting, exposing, or abandoning a child.
The remand order for the 29-year-old assistant warden has been extended for another three days, until Saturday, to facilitate investigation.
The suspect was arrested last Saturday at his home in Felda Lok Heng Barat, Kota Tinggi, following a police report lodged on April 18 by the victim's mother.
The religious school where the incident took place has 15 staff members, including six teachers, and 110 students, aged between 11 and 17.
Earlier, the school's principal Mohammad Afdhaluddin Ismail said the suspect had worked for the school since last year.
Event timelime leading to Mohamad Thaqif’s death:
March 24
- Mohamad Thaqif and 14 other students were allegedly assaulted with a rubber water hose by an assistant warden for being noisy in the surau.
March 31
- Boy’s mother takes him home after he looked weak.
April 19
- Mohamad Thaqif was admitted into the hospital and placed in the High Dependency Ward after his health deteriorated.
April 22
- Both legs were amputated to prevent further infection. He later fell into a comma and never came out of it.
- Suspect was later arrested at his home. He has been remanded until April 29.
April 26
- Mohamad Thaqif's infected right arm was to be amputated, but was postponed due his unstable heart condition. He dies at about 2.05pm.