JOHOR BAHRU  — The Defence Ministry is conducting its own inquiry into the sudden death of a 22-year-old university cadet during an army exercise in Ulu Tiram, Johor yesterday, separate from the police investigation.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said a special committee had been formed and included representatives from the Higher Education and Home Ministries, The Star reported today.

“I was informed that a post-mortem has already been conducted, but we are still waiting for the results.

“At the Malaysian Armed Forces level, we have established a committee to investigate the cause and circumstances of the victim’s death,” he was quoted as saying after the Pasir Gudang Umno division meeting here earlier.

Syamsul Haris Shamsudin, a Universiti Teknologi Malaysia undergraduate in his second semester, collapsed after suffering a seizure during training as a reserve officer at the Army Combat Training Centre on July 28.

He was rushed to the Kota Tinggi Hospital but pronounced dead while under treatment.

His mother who lives in Perak has since filed a police report alleging possible foul play after discovering injuries on his body and is demanding an investigation.