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Medan HQ raid raises concerns about police-military spat
Some 40 soldiers from the Bukit Barisan regional military command surrounded the office of Medan Police’s criminal investigation department for two hours on Aug. 4 over the bail of a suspect in an alleged document forgery case.
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he Indonesian Military (TNI) raid of a police headquarters in Medan, North Sumatra over a criminal suspect related to a soldier has raised concerns about fresh tension between the two institutions.
Some 40 soldiers from the Bukit Barisan regional military command, which oversees the defense of North Sumatra and three neighboring provinces, surrounded the office of Medan Police’s criminal investigation department head Comr. Teuku Fathir Mustafa for two hours on Aug. 4.
The military personnel, led by a member of the regional command’s legal department, Mayor Dedi Hasibuan, then had a heated debate with the city’s chief detective about the release on bail of an alleged land certificate fraud suspect.
Dedi is also the uncle of Ahmad Rosid Hasibuan, the suspect in question.
“We don’t want to interfere or stop the ongoing investigation,” Dedi said. “We just want to ask the police to approve Ahmad’s bail.”
He claimed that the police denied Ahmad’s request for bail while accepting the bail of another suspect, who was deemed a main suspect in the case.
Ahmad was released on bail following the Saturday incident. Teuku did not specify the reason behind the bail’s approval when contacted by The Jakarta Post.
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North Sumatera Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Hadi Wahyudi said the investigation of Ahmad remained ongoing. "The police force remains professional in upholding justice in accordance with the law," Hadi said on Sunday.
He dismissed concerns over the rising tension between the TNI and the National Police surrounding Ahmad’s case and the Saturday incident, asserting that the two institutions “remain solid” and would always cooperate well.
Family’s legal aid
A video of the heated argument between Dedi and Teuku has since made rounds on social media, sparking criticism from the public and the TNI headquarters in Jakarta.
TNI commander Admiral Yudo Margono has instructed the military police to investigate Dedi following the backlash, calling his actions in Medan “unethical”.
Since then, Dedi has been detained, and 22 other soldiers allegedly involved in the incident had been questioned.
Military Police chief Air Rear Marshal Agung Handoko said Dedi intentionally stormed the Medan Police headquarters to intimidate the police officers and influence the investigation into his nephew’s case.
"Dedi and his colleagues visited the Medan Police headquarters, donning uniforms on their off day to intimidate the police detectives,” Agung said on Thursday as quoted by tempo.co.
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Yudo said the TNI was planning to revise a regulation allowing military lawyers to give legal assistance to soldiers' family members.
The current regulation allows soldiers' spouses, children, siblings, parents, in-laws, nephews, nieces and military widows to receive legal assistance. The amendment sought to narrow down the definition of family members eligible for TNI’s legal aids.
Irvan Saputra, the director of the Medan Legal Aid Institute (LBH Medan), criticized the regulation, saying civilians should not receive legal aid from military lawyers.
Long history
Conflicts between the TNI and the police have been brewing since 1999, after then-President B. J. Habibie separated the police from the military, which had both previously existed under the Indonesian Armed Forces, or ABRI.
Clashes between the two have made headlines several times. In 2020, a mob reportedly comprising TNI personnel burned down two vehicles at Ciracas Police Station in East Jakarta and vandalized nearby stores along the nearby street.
The incident occurred when an Army private was involved in a car accident in Ciracas, resulting in minor injuries. He allegedly told his fellow soldiers that he sustained injuries from an attack by a group of people.
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During the attack, 23 people were reportedly physically assaulted while 109 others suffered material losses. The military police later named 65 soldiers suspects in the case.
Institute for Security and Strategic Studies (ISESS) security analyst Bambang Rukminto said clashes like this would continue to happen between the two institutions unless police and military personnel understand their duties and functions.
"While TNI personnel are part of our country's defense system, they are also part of the general public who need police service [in maintaining security],” Bambang said. “The police should also perform their duty properly and professionally to prevent complaints from the public, including from military personnel.”
