Police officers surrounding a protester on Aug 22, 2024, amid a demonstration against the revision of the Regional Elections Law, in front of the legislative complex in Central Jakarta. - Antara
JAKARTA: Eleven officers of the Mamuju Police in West Sulawesi have been detained by the Internal Affairs Division (Propam) after allegedly assaulting a college student last week, the latest in a series of police brutality reports in recent months.
West Sulawesi Police Propam head Sr Comr Budi Yudantara said on Saturday (Dec 4) that investigators were currently questioning the detained officers to determine whether more policemen were involved in the incident.
“The number of arrests has grown since Thursday, when seven officers were detained by Propam. We are committed to ensuring the case is resolved swiftly and effectively," Budi said as reported by Kompas.id.
Authorities said the assault took place on Wednesday after a student from the Mamuju branch of the Islamic Student Association (HMI) reprimanded an officer for visiting his girlfriend at a female dormitory late at night.
Offended, the officer argued with the student before leaving, only to return with about a dozen fellow officers from the Mamuju Police. The mob searched for the student who had reprimanded the officer and allegedly assaulted another HMI member after failing to find him.
The attack left the victim with a broken nose and multiple bruises to his face and body. He is currently receiving medical treatment at the Mamuju Regional General Hospital (RSUD).
Dozens of students from the Mamuju HMI staged a protest in front of the Mamuju Police station following the assault, demanding the dismissal of the officers who were responsible for the incident. The head of Mamuju HMI, Ansar, urged the police to hand down the maximum punishment for the officers allegedly involved in the attack and to charge them with criminal offences.
"The sanction must create a deterrent effect for the perpetrators. Police are tasked with protecting the public, not assaulting them," Ansar said.
West Sulawesi Police chief Insp Gen Adang Ginanjar has made a public apology for the alleged assault, promising to firmly punish the officers if they are found guilty.
Several officers from the West Sulawesi Police had also visited the victim in the hospital, stating that the police would cover the cost of his medical treatment.
The police have been under widespread scrutiny nationwide following numerous reports of police brutality in recent months.
Six officers at the Medan Police in North Sumatra have been investigated for allegedly physically assaulting three detainees, resulting in the death of 42-year-old Budianto Sitepu.
The three victims allegedly got into a violent argument with the officers on Christmas Eve after one of the policemen reprimanded them for throwing a loud party.
Budi, who suffered multiple injuries during the incident, fell ill after he was arrested by the officers, but the police allegedly refused to get him medical treatment.
He was only brought to a hospital two days after the altercation and died soon after.
In November, an officer from the Central Kalimantan Police, Brig Anton Kurniawan Stiyanto, made national news after he allegedly committed a murder-robbery in Bukit Batu district in Palangka Raya.
According to Central Kalimantan Police chief Insp Gen Djoko Poerwanto, Anton allegedly stopped a delivery driver identified only as BA under the pretense that he needed the victim's testimony for an illegal levy case. The officer lured BA into his car, where he shot the victim twice in the head.
Anton subsequently dumped BA’s body on the side of the road and ordered someone to steal the victim’s car.
Data from Amnesty International Indonesia has shown that between Jan 1 and Dec 9 last year, there were at least 116 recorded cases of police brutality in the country.
The cases include 29 extrajudicial killings, 26 instances of torture and 28 cases of intimidation and the use of physical violence.
Observers have called for sweeping reforms within the police force, including amending the prevailing Police Law or placing the force under the authority of a ministry rather than directly under the President.
This would enable stronger monitoring of police performance by the government and the National Police Commission (Kompolnas). - The Jakarta Post/ANN
