The National Commission on Human Rights claims to have found strong indications of violations committed by local police officers which resulted in a deadly clash with residents in Buol regency, Central Sulawesi last week
Commission chief Ifdhal Kasim said Tuesday the commission's investigation team had found evidence that the incident, which killed eight people and injured dozens of others, was triggered by the officers' reluctance to heed public demand for an investigation into the death of a resident while under the police custody
"Instead of calming the crowd or offering a dialogue [with them], Buol police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Amin Litarso, for example, chose to deploy two truck-loads of fully-armed police officers to the area where the standoff took place," Ifdhal told reporters.
Aside of Amin, Ifdhal said the Central Sulawesi police chief and chief of the Biau police station, where the incident took place, should be held responsible for the deadly incident as well.
Police opened fire at hundreds of angry residents who ransacked the Biau police station last Tuesday after learning that Kasmir Timumun, 19, a local motorcycle taxi driver, had died while under the police custody a day before.
Kasmir had earlier been arrested by police for allegedly involved in illegal street racing. He accidentally hit a police officer as he was trying to evade arrest.
Local residents suspected that Kasmir had died from torture since they found many bruises in his body. They rebutted police's claim that Kasmir had committed suicide in his cell.
Ifdhal said his team believed Kasmir had no strong reason to commit suicide since he just violated a minor crime.
Following the incident, the National Police sent 170 reinforcement force from the Mobile Brigade to help restore peace and order in the regency.
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