Protesters holding a demonstration in front of Central Java Police headquarters in Semarang, Central Java, on Nov 28. - Antara
JAKARTA: The Central Java Police have arrested the police officer who allegedly shot and killed a 17-year-old high school student in Semarang, Central Java, amid intensifying public pressure for the force to launch a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the case.
The officer was identified as Second Adj. Insp. Robig Zaenudin who was assigned to Semarang Police’s narcotics division. He was arrested at the Central Java Police headquarters while under investigation by the provincial police’s internal affairs division.
The police have alleged that Robig used excessive force by using his firearm to disperse a reported brawl. He also allegedly violated the procedures regarding the use of weapons on duty by not firing a warning shot, instead aiming his gun directly at three teenagers on a motorcycle.
“We have also received reports from the victim’s parents. We also questioned two of the victim’s friends who were also shot during the incident. They were accompanied by their parents as well as representatives from their school,” Central Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Artanto said on Thursday (Nov 28) evening.
Despite being arrested by internal affairs, the police have not yet named Robig as a criminal suspect, as the ethical probes against him are still ongoing.
The 17-year-old student of SMK 4 Semarang state vocational high school, identified only by the initials GRO, was shot by the officer who claims to have attempted to disperse a gang brawl in front of a housing complex in western Semarang in the early hours of Nov 24.
GRO was taken to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
Apart from GRO, two of his friends were also shot during the incident, namely S, 16, and A, 17.
But information gathered by rights group Amnesty International Indonesia revealed that there was no brawl near the housing complex that night as police have claimed. The officer allegedly opened fire at the teenagers after his motorbike collided with the one the students were riding.
The rights group’s executive director Usman Hamid called the shooting “illegal, unnecessary, disproportionate and unaccountable”, while also violating “the principles of human rights protection”.
Pressure has been growing for the police to launch a full and transparent investigation into the case.
Around 500 protesters held demonstrations in front of the Central Java Police headquarters on Thursday afternoon until evening, demanding the force to act impartially and transparently while investigating the shooting.
The protesters, comprised of students from various high schools and universities in Semarang, held up posters with messages such as “Pembunuh Rakyat” (the people’s killer) and “Police Everywhere, Justice Nowhere”.
“The murder has to be fully investigated. It is not true that the student who was shot was a gang member who liked to be involved in brawls,” said Amin Muktafa, a representative of the protesters.
Muhammad Safali of the Semarang Legal Aid Institute (LBH) called for intensive public monitoring of the police’s investigation into the case to ensure the perpetrator would be punished accordingly.
“There should also be an internal reform within the Semarang Police. Aside from compensation for the families, there should also be protection for witnesses. There should not be any threats or intimidation against them,” Safali said.
On Friday, the police exhumed GRO’s body, which was already buried at the Bangunrejo public cemetery in Sragen regency. The family allowed authorities to conduct a post-mortem examination to get a clear explanation of the victim’s cause of death.
“We’ll be transparent. If [the perpetrator is] found guilty, he will pay the consequences. We’ll be transparent until this case reaches the court,” Central Java Police’s general criminal investigation director Sr. Comr. Dwi Subagyo said on the sidelines of the examination, as quoted by tempo.co.
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) launched a probe by sending a team that included commissioner Uli Parulian Sihombing to investigate the case. The team examined the crime scene in Semarang, as well as gathering testimony from witnesses and the police on Friday, as reported by kompas.com.
On Saturday, members of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) interviewed GRO’s family in order to gather more information in their probe into the case.
Kompolnas members Choirul Anam and Supardi Hamid said that they had also questioned representatives from the school, as well as Semarang and Central Java Police.
“We want to make sure that the ongoing process is conducted professionally,” Choirul said, as quoted by tempo.co. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
