Several government buildings in Purbalingga regency, Central Java were vandalized in an act allegedly related to the recent brouhaha surrounding Sukatani, a punk band from the regency, and its song criticizing the police.

Unidentified groups of people spray-painted several buildings, including police stations and the regency’s Regional Representative Council (DPRD) building using red and black paint. 

They painted the letter A in a circle that resembles a symbol for anarchism. Phrases such as “MERAH #SUKATANI” (Red #Sukatani) were also seen sprayed in the building, as reported by kompas.com.

Sukatani refers to a punk band from the regency that posted a video on their Instagram account on Thursday apologizing for their song “Bayar, Bayar, Bayar” (Pay, pay, pay) from their 2023 album Gelap Gempita that was created to criticize police officers committing violations such as bribery and extortion. 

The song includes lines that translate as “Reporting a lost item? Pay the police! Want to become a police officer? Pay the police!”

In the video, they apologized to National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo and other officials. They also announced that they had removed the song from all digital platforms and urged the public to delete any recordings featuring “Bayar, Bayar, Bayar”.

The band members, guitarist Muhammad Syifa Al Ufti and vocalist Novi Citra Indriyanto, also revealed their faces and real names in the video. The band always wears full-face masks and uses the stage names Alectroguy and Twister Angel, respectively, at every performance.

Read also: Punk song censorship raises concerns about freedom of expression

The incident drew public attention, with artists and netizens alike voicing their support for the band on social media. The song was also chanted by at various protests, such as the Kamisan silent protest in Jakarta and the Indonesia Gelap (Dark Indonesia) rallies in the capital city and other regions protesting recent policies from President Prabowo Subianto and his administration.

Sukatani supporters alleged that the police intimidated the band members to make the apology video.

Listyo said on Friday that the apology video was a “miscommunication” and asserted that the National Police were not “anti-criticism” and are committed to evaluating the force’s shortcomings.

Central Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Artanto admitted that some investigators met with Sukatani members in Banyuwangi, East Java when the band was on their way home from a performance in Bali. However, he denied intimidating the band, claiming that he did not know anything about the video.

Human rights groups urged the National Police to thoroughly investigate the incident, arguing that the band would not make and upload the video without any coercion.