A viral video showing an unarmed man being repeatedly beaten with sticks by riot police officers in a parking lot near Al Huda Mosque in Kampung Bali, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, has put the issue of police violence in the spotlight.

The National Police have confirmed the incident took place and vowed to take action against the officers responsible for the violence.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said the man being beaten was Andri Bibir, who the police have said supplied rocks to rioters that were thrown at police officers during a riot in front of the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) headquarters in Central Jakarta on Wednesday.

The riot occurred following a street protest held by supporters of losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto to oppose the election result.

“In relation to the viral video, we have asked the National Police’s internal affairs division [Propam] to question witnesses including the man beaten, Andri,” Dedi said during a press conference on Saturday. “The police will, for sure, enforce the law against any officer who commits a violation while on duty,” he added.

Dedi said the officers’ actions against Andri, as captured in the video, were not in line with the police’s standard operating procedure.

The police were quick to clarify the incident amid rumors about what exactly happened. Social media accounts belonging to Prabowo supporters have claimed, without evidence, that the man beaten by the officers in Kampung Bali was a 15-year-old boy named Muhammad Harun Rasyid.

According to their narrative, Harun finally succumbed to his wounds. He has been portrayed as a martyr who died at the hands of the “cruel” police officers.

The Jakarta Post confirmed on Friday evening that the junior high school student was among the people killed during the riots, though his cause of death remains unknown.

His father, Didin Wahyudin, declined to comment on whether Harun was indeed the person in the viral video, but confirmed that his son had taken part in the election protest. “We thought he was just going nearby, playing with his friends,” said the 45-year-old mechanic.

Harun is believed to have been killed in Slipi, West Jakarta, where a violent altercation took place between the police and the protesters.

Quiet and secluded: A parking lot owned by Smart Service Parking encircles Al Huda Mosque in Kampung Bali, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, on Saturday. The parking lot is where a number of security officers reportedly ganged up on an accused rioter following a rally in front of the Elections Supervisory Agency building on Jl. MH. Thamrin than turned into violent.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan)

Andri was not the only person arrested during the police’s raid in Kampung Bali. The police said they arrested a total of 11 individuals in connection to Andri’s case. Among them are Arya, Masruki and Markus, who the police said had been “stone throwers”.

However, only Andri, Arya and Masruki were present during the press conference at the National Police headquarters.

Speaking to the press, Andri admitted that he was the man in the video, but denied the police’s claim he was involved in the riot.

“I was sleeping when the sound of the angry officers woke me up. I ran and tried to escape through the back door but some officers were already on full alert there as well,” he said.

Iwan, a local resident, however, said the man beaten by the officers in the video was Markus, not Andri. “The information is reliable. It was Markus,” he told the Post.

He said he believed that the police had arrested locals who were not involved in the riots, including Iyok, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver.

Iwan said Iyok was only resting in a hut behind the parking lot, as he was not able to return to his home in Slipi Kemanggisan, West Jakarta, on Wednesday night. “Iyok was sleeping in the hut, while the police searched the area. Maybe he ran away and hid in a vacant lot behind the hut as he sensed danger,” Iwan said.

Erik (not his real name), a supervisor at the privately owned parking lot where the beating took place, told the Post that he was there when the arrest took place on Thursday at around 6 a.m.

He said he was sleeping inside the facility when police officers banged on the entrance gate and insisted on entering the site.

An officer asked whether any rioters were hiding inside. Erik said no because the gate was closed during the riots. No protesters could have entered the parking lot, which is located just 250 meters from the Bawaslu office, he explained.

Erik said that to his surprise, three men were spotted resting under a tree inside the lot. The police then accused him of lying and beat his left arm.

Erik said the three men — whom he described as local thugs — usually hung out in the parking lot, but had never caused any trouble.

In addition to the incident in Kampung Bali, the police have also been accused of committing violence against protesters, humanitarian activists and also journalists in other places.

According to the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), seven journalists fell victim to violence committed by police officers and protesters during the riots.

“We condemn the violent acts against journalists,” Asnil said in a written statement received by the Post on Friday.

Philanthropy group Dompet Dhuafa also claimed to have been attacked by police officers during the riots. The officers, the group said, ransacked its ambulance and attacked three of its volunteers. However, the group has settled the case with the police.

At least eight people had been killed in the two days of postelection riots, while some 700 protesters had received medical treatment at several hospitals.

Human rights group Amnesty International has urged the government to investigate alleged human rights violations that took place during the riots.

“There must be a thorough investigation to uncover the facts, and the perpetrators should be punished,” the group said in a statement on Saturday.

The group also noted the incident in Kampung Bali, saying the police had failed to implement human rights principles in carrying out their duties. “This is a serious violation of the police’s standard operating procedure.”