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Police accused of using too much force against protesting students
Police nationwide are being accused of using excessive force while handling the student protests in cities across the country on Tuesday, inciting public demand for investigations into the alleged brutality
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span>Police nationwide are being accused of using excessive force while handling the student protests in cities across the country on Tuesday, inciting public demand for investigations into the alleged brutality.
In North Sumatra, dozens of students suffered injuries after a clash between protesters and police broke out during a rally in front of the provincial legislative council (DPRD) complex in Medan on Tuesday afternoon.
Pintor Sitorus, a member of the DPRD North Sumatra from the Gerindra Party, was reportedly beaten by police intelligence agents when the former attempted to record a video of the police’s apparently excessive measures when handling student protesters.
The secretary of the Gerindra faction in the DPRD, Gusmiyadi, claimed that he had witnessed the incident and he said he had tried to stop it by explaining to the officers that Pintor was a DPRD member.
“The police intelligence personnel who had [allegedly] been beating Pintor eventually stopped afterward,” Gusmiyadi said, adding that his colleague suffered wounds to his ears and other parts of his body as a result of the attack.
Gusmiyadi said the case had been reported to the National Police’s internal affairs division (Propam). DPRD North Sumatra Speaker Baskami Ginting said he deplored the incident, adding that such arbitrary persecution was unjustified and calling for those responsible to be held accountable.
North Sumatra Police have detained at least 53 people they said they suspect to have been provocateurs during the protests, which later turned into clashes that damaged facilities, including seven police vehicles.
Police officers who had been engaged in violence, as well as students who had rioted, such as by throwing stones at security forces, would all be questioned, North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Agus Andiranto said.
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, the Makassar Legal Aid Institute (LBH Makassar) recorded at least 220 people who had been injured, some of whom allegedly beaten by security forces, after a protest involving thousands of university students in front of the provincial DPRD building descended into violence on Tuesday.
At least 32 people suffering from, among other things, head trauma and blisters, with some fainted had been taken to Awal Bros Hospital, where one victim got hospitalized for headache and nausea.
The Bhayangkara Police Hospital treated 18 victims after the clashes. As of Wednesday, four were still hospitalized because of severe injuries.
South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Mas Guntur Laupe admitted that some police officers had used repressive measures against protesters, some journalists and bystanders in front of the DPRD building.
Some police officers had reportedly beaten some protesters, while others even went as far as chasing protesters into a mosque located near the council complex without removing their boots.
Footage of the incident later made the rounds of social media and sparked criticism, since Muslims are required to remove their footwear when entering their places of worship.
Guntur said that police officers were only equipped with tear gas and water cannons during protests. However, he admitted that some officers got emotional when they got hit by stones and decided to chase after protesters into the mosque.
He apologized on behalf the police institution to the students and the public over the repressive and brutal actions committed by the officers.
"[The officers'] actions have clearly violated procedures and they are to be given sanctions," he said, adding that some officers were currently being questioned by the police's Propam.
The South Sulawesi Police initially detained 200 protesters. They later released all but two people, who had been found carrying arrows to the rallies.
A string of rallies was this week held by tens of thousands of university students across Indonesia to protest a number of controversial bills, including a revision to the Criminal Code (KUHP), and what they perceived as attempts to roll back democracy in the country.
Protests on Tuesday in Jakarta also ended with clashes in the evening. Hundreds of people, particularly students, were injured, with some hospitalized for serious injuries. Dozens of others were reportedly unaccounted for as of Wednesday afternoon.
In Bandung, West Java, the student executive bodies (BEM) of all universities gathered reports of the police’s repressive measures against student protesters who staged rallies on Monday and Tuesday.
During the two-day protests, the Bandung Islamic University (Unisba) was turned into a temporary evacuation center for students injured by tear gas and what they claimed to have been harsh treatment by the police.
At least 230 victims were sent to the evacuation center, 20 of whom were later admitted for further treatment into hospitals, according to Unisba’s volunteer corps.
Bagja Kautsar, one of the volunteers, said that many of the victims sent to the hospital on Monday suffered from bone dislocations and fractures after they were fired upon with water cannons.
"On the second day, a majority of the students suffered from shock, fatigue and heat in their lungs because of the tear gas," he said.
Legal aid institutes from across the country, including in Jakarta, Bandung and Makassar, have opened crisis centers and urged students and victims to file reports should they need legal assistance and other help, including to locate students who remained missing after the protests. (ars)
