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South Jakarta Police ban 'sahur on the road' to prevent brawls
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Youths brawl on Jl. Rambutan in Tebet, South Jakarta, on Jan. 22. (Warta Kota/Feryanto Hadi)
S
outh Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Indra Jafar has prohibited the holding of outdoor pre-dawn meal events known as “sahur on the road” during Ramadan to prevent brawls among rival groups.
Usually participants in such activities are young people riding in motorcycle convoys where they not only have their meals outdoors but also give meals to passersby.
“We have prohibited any sahur on the road activities because they can be used as meetings between rival groups. A person died during one event. We want to prevent such things occurring again,” Indra said on Thursday as reported by kompas.com.
It was reported that a 17-year-old high school graduate was killed during a sahur on the road event in which he and his friends were participating in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, last year. He died after being stabbed by members of another group after the two groups had previously clashed that night.
“If our warning is not heeded, we will disperse [any sahur on the road activities]. Just have the pre-dawn meal at home and if you want to have a gathering please do it in a place where it will not be disruptive,” he added.
Besides banning sahur on the road activities, South Jakarta Police will also monitor areas prone to brawls, including the Saharjo area, notorious for repeated clashes among residents. Police personnel will also conduct patrols to prevent any brawls taking place during the fasting month, Indra added. (das)
