University to grant honorary degree to self-immolating student

Bung Karno University will grant an honorary Bachelor’s degree to Sondang Hutagalung, 22, a student who set himself on fire in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta.

The honorary degree will be granted in appreciation of the struggle of Sondang, who had been actively involved in a number of anti-government protests.

He doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire in one such protests on Dec. 7, and was subsequently treated in the intensive care unit of Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta. He died on Saturday afternoon.

“A number of public figures and organizations suggested granting the honorary Bachelor’s degree,” university deputy rector Daniel Panda said on Sunday in Jakarta as quoted by tempo.co.

He added that the granting of the degree should not been taken as encouragement for other students to do the same thing.

“As an academician, I hope there will be no repeat of such a measure. There are other options. This [self-immolating] is a too high a sacrifice.”

Sondang was the youngest of four children of taxi driver Victor Hutagalung and homemaker Dame Sipahutar.

He was in the class of 2007 of the Bung Karno University’s Law School and was reportedly due to attend his graduation ceremony.

Police have yet to determine the motive for Sondang’s self-immolation.