Raid on beggars turns ugly<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: A raid on beggars at the Istiqlal Mosque in Sawah
\nBesar district, Central Jakarta, late on Tuesday turned ugly when
\ndozens of people inside the mosque chased the officers away,
\nhurling plastic bottles and chairs at them.<\/p>\n
Seeing the public order officers approaching the mosque at
\nabout 11:30 p.m., many of the beggars -- whose numbers soar
\nduring Ramadhan -- ran inside the mosque.<\/p>\n
This interrupted a Koran reading, the participants of which
\nthought the officers had come to check their identity cards. The
\nparticipants put down their Korans and gave chase to the
\nofficers, including Sawah Besar Regent Suprihatin, who was
\nleading the raid.<\/p>\n
The raid also involved the police and the military.<\/p>\n
"We tried to calm them and tell them why we were there, but it
\nwas to no avail. They kept on attacking us. Maybe they were angry
\nbecause the officers entered the mosque and caught one of the
\nbeggars who was pretending to pray," Suprihatin said. -- JP<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/raid-on-beggars-turns-ugly-1447893297",
"image": ""
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