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Army, police to investigate Batam shooting
The police and Army in Batam, Riau Islands, are forming a joint team to investigate a shooting incident that saw four soldiers wounded
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The police and Army in Batam, Riau Islands, are forming a joint team to investigate a shooting incident that saw four soldiers wounded.
Riau Islands Police chief Brig. Gen. Arman Depary said the team would include the police internal affairs division, the Army's Military Police and other parties considered necessary.
"The team will investigate whether there were procedural violations in the shooting. We will reveal this," Arman told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Speaking at the Embung Fatimah Hospital in Batam when visiting the four soldiers from the 134th Tuah Sakti Infantry Battalion, Arman said the incident began when detectives from the Riau Islands Police General Crime Directorate raided a warehouse in Tembesi, Batam, on Sunday afternoon.
The warehouse was suspected to contain subsidized diesel fuel. The detectives were accompanied by the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers.
"There was already a crowd at the scene, including soldiers. It was reported that when placing a police line, a police officer fired a shot into the air," he said.
Arman said the soldiers had taken issue with the involvement of Brimob officers in the raid. After the raid, several soldiers from the 134th battalion headed to the nearby Brimob headquarters.
"There was a commotion when the soldiers arrived there," he said.
Eyewitnesses said the soldiers were unarmed upon their arrival on Sunday evening, but added the soldiers had provoked the police officers on duty, which lead to a scuffle.
Brimob officers then reportedly aimed their weapons at the soldiers.
Two stalls were also reportedly damaged in the brawl.
Wira Pratama Regional Military Command (Korem) chief Brig. Gen. Bujang Zuhirman said the clash occurred because the soldiers were at the warehouse raided by police. Warning shots were fired during the raid.
"The soldiers went to Brimob headquarters to demand who was responsible for the raid in Brimob. The soldiers were trying to be heroes as a friend of theirs was disturbed in the raid," he said.
He identified the wounded soldiers as Chief Pvt. Eka Basri, First Pvt. Eko, First Pvt. Ari and First Pvt. Hari who all suffered wounds to their left thighs.
Bujang maintained the soldiers were not involved in the hoarding of subsidized diesel and said the commotion was caused by a misunderstanding. (nvn)(++++)
