On 13 May 2018, NSF Kok Yuen Chin was found unconscious at the bottom of 12m-deep fire station pump well at Tuas View Fire Station.
Kok’s ORD celebration had taken a tragic turn after he was pushed into a well as part of a ragging exercise and died after drowning.
He was only 22 at the time.
A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Warrant Officer who was at the scene was found guilty today of asking a Staff Sergeant to push the NSF into the well.
A total of five officers were charged over the incident, and two have already served their sentences.
So, what happened?
A recap
Here’s a recap of the events that led to CPL Kok’s tragic death.
- Kok and his colleagues were celebrating his impending Operationally Ready Date (ORD) with a cake and plaque presentation
- A few officers in the room started shouting “kolam, kolam”, referring to the well or the ritual of entering the well
- Some officers then lifted and carried CPL Kok out of the room
- CPL Kok’s kept saying “Jangan encik, jangan”, meaning “Don’t encik, don’t”
- The officers told CPL Kok to sit on the edge of the pump well
- One of the accused, Staff Sergeant Muhammad Nur Fatwa Mahmood, then pushed him forcefully on his back, causing him to fall into the well
- CPL Kok was unconscious when he was retrieved from the well 36 minutes after being pushed
- He later died in hospital with the cause of death certified as drowning
Blamed each other
When the officers involved were charged in court, two of them started pointing fingers at each other.
Fatwa, the one who pushed Kok in, said he only pushed Kok in because he was told to do so. According to Fatwa, Farid said “Wa, tolak dia,”, which means “Push him” in Malay.
Farid denied this in court, however, calling Fatwa’s statement a “lie” and saying that he was “shocked” by the allegation.
In the end, though, both were found guilty by the court.
Jailed
Fatwa, the one who pushed CPL Kok into the well, was sentenced to 12 months’ jail on Oct 23 last year after pleading guilty to the charges he faced.
And today, Farid, the one who denied asking Fatwa to push CPL Kok into the well, was found guilty of abetting Fatwa by instigating him into committing a rash act that caused Kok’s death.
According to CNA, the judge deemed Fatwa a credible witness with consistent testimony. He pointed out that Fatwa had “candidly admitted” to his involvement in the incident.
On the other hand, the judge found Farid to be less trustworthy, as he seemed more concerned with escaping punishment:
“I was not impressed by his attempts to downplay his involvement in the whole episode,” the judge said.
Of the five men charged over the incident, two have served their sentences, and two more are currently on trial.
