The Balinese Hindu ritual is slated to be carried out on Thursday following an incident on Monday in which Bali Police shot dead a French national, Amokrane Sabet, after he stabbed a police officer to death.

Villager Ketut Diani, 50, said the ritual should be conducted to cast away bad spirits.

"We believe the incident has had negative effects. The ritual is needed to restore harmony between humans and the environment," she said.

The cleansing ritual will be performed by all villagers of Banjar Tegal Gundul. The ritual is also aimed at preventing similar violence from taking place in the future.

Violence, especially acts of violence that result in untimely death, is believed to be a prime cause of spiritual impurity. This impurity disrupts the cosmic balance in the universe, and over time, may trigger a series of negative events that affect the whole community. Balinese are obliged to hold purification and sacrificial rituals to restore cosmic balance.

The police arrest led to a deadly shooting at Harmoni Villa, Sabet's residence in Banjar Tegal Gundul, when police and immigration officers came to round up the former mixed martial artist following a tip-off from locals. Some residents had filed complaints against Sabet for having frequently threatened the locals and causing public disturbance.

Locals said that while they deplored the incident that claimed two lives. They, however, felt relieved, as they will no longer have to face Sabet’s threats.

"He often scared people. He often ate [at local restaurants] and refused to pay the bill. He would often drive his car with the radio turned up loudly, causing a disturbance,” said Luh Rentadi, a villager.

Separately, residents were also seen on Jl. Gunung Talang II Denpasar at the house of late police officer, Brig. Anak Agung Putu Sudiarta, who was stabbed to death by the Frenchman.

Sudiarta's body, however, was still at the morgue in Sanglah Hospital as Sudiarta’s family plans to hold a memukur ritual, a pre-cremation ritual before taking the deceased body home on May 20. The cremation ceremony will be held on May 23 at the family’s temple.

Anak Agung Kompiang Tilem, Sudiarta's uncle, said that Sudiarta was a good person. "He was a brave man and always lent a helping hand," Kompiang said.

Following the incident, the Bali immigration office plans to tighten supervision of foreigners residing on the resort island.

"We will tighten our monitoring," said Ngurah Rai immigration office head Yosep HA Renung Widodo on Tuesday.

Yosep called on all Bali residents to report foreigners staying in their rented houses or hotels for long periods.

The Ngurah Rai immigration office has deported at least 70 foreign nationals in the first four months the year for visa violations.

Sabet had been staying in Bali since 2014 using the visa-on-arrival facility. "He often went to Singapore to renew his visa. But since September 2015, he did not renew his visa," Yosep said. (dmr)

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