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olice in Lahat regency, South Sumatra, have named the head of the Religious Affairs Ministry'€™s office in Pagaralam city, Ramlan Fauzi, who is also caretaker of the Al-fatah Islamic boarding school (pesantren) in Lahat, a suspect for allegedly sexually abusing his students.

Lahat Police'€™s women and children'€™s protection division head, Second Insp. Nurhanas, said Ramlan had been named a suspect based on victim reports and a police investigation.

'€œWe have conducted medical examinations on five male victims. Based on the results, the victims sustained anal injuries, but our investigation is still ongoing,'€ Nurhanas said over the phone on Thursday.

Despite being named a suspect, Ramlan is not in detention as he has been cooperative. However, he must report at the police station twice a week.

According to Nurhanas, Ramlan is suspected of molesting students under the age of 18, and will be charged under Law No. 23/2002 on child protection, which carries a maximum 15-year sentence.

'€œRamlan rejects the allegations, but we have sufficient evidence and he has the right to try to prove his innocence in court,'€ Nurhasan said.

Separately, Ramlan denied he had sexually abused any of his students.

'€œI have been framed and the police reports are baseless. I can'€™t believe that the police have named me a suspect,'€ Ramlan said.

He claimed certain parties wished to destroy his career by reporting him to police, adding that he was ready to prove that he had not committed the sex crimes.

The South Sumatra Religious Affairs Agency has deployed a team to investigate the case.

'€œWe have sent a team to determine the truth,'€ said agency head Hambali.

He added that he would immediately report the case to the Religious Affairs Ministry in Jakarta, which would issue a policy on the matter.

Meanwhile, head of the South Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), Adi Sangadi, expressed his concerns over the case.

'€œThe sexual abuse case at the Jakarta International School has yet to be resolved and now a similar case is said to have taken place in a religious school,'€ Adi said.

Separately, in a violent case involving children, which claimed the life of a 10-year-old girl named Jihan Salsabila, the director of the HM Rabain Regional Hospital in South Sumatra'€™s Muara Enim regency, Suwandi Safitra, said Jihan had been diagnosed as suffering from an infection to her brain membrane when she was admitted to the hospital. Jihan was allegedly beaten by four male classmates at SDN 14 elementary school in Muara Enim on Monday.

'€œJihan was suffering from a high fever and spasms when her family brought her to the hospital. Based on our analysis, the spasms were caused by an infection to the brain membrane,'€ Suwandi said.

Doctors tried to save her with anti-spasm medication as well as antibiotics.

'€œThere was nothing much we could do because her condition was already critical. She passed away a few hours after receiving treatment,'€ he added.

Police are currently collecting evidence in the case and are searching for more witnesses. '€œWe will be questioning Masriani, the school'€™s principal, the class teacher, two of the victim'€™s friends who witnessed the incident and the doctors who treated Jihan,'€ said Muara Enim Police'€™s crime and intelligence chief, Adj. Comr. Eryadi Yuswanto.

Eryadi said the police had also asked the KPAI office in Muara Enim to provide support for the witnesses as the case involved minors.

Muara Enim KPAI staff member Win Insani said he had approached the Jihan'€™s family as well as the families of the alleged perpetrators. '€œWe will make sure the case does not traumatize the children involved. We have asked their parents to remain calm and safeguard the psychological well-being of their children,'€ Win said.