33 Questions Put to Pandji Pragiwaksono's YouTube Admin in Toraja Funeral Joke Case
Jakarta, VIVA – The handling of a case involving alleged ethnically and culturally charged insults against Toraja funeral customs continues to unfold. Most recently, investigators from the Cyber Crime Directorate of the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri) questioned the administrator of comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono’s YouTube account as a witness.
The examination was conducted on a witness identified by the initials SB, who is known to be the administrator who uploaded the stand-up comedy video entitled “Mesakke Bangsaku” on 8 June 2021. Police confirmed that the questioning was a follow-up to a public complaint.
“This examination is a follow-up to a public complaint regarding alleged criminal defamation through electronic media,” said Head of Sub-directorate I of the Cyber Crime Directorate at Bareskrim Polri, Senior Commissioner Rizki Agung Prakoso, on Thursday, 19 February 2026.
Investigators put no fewer than 33 questions to SB. The questions covered the video editing process, the writing of narratives and content descriptions, and the scheduling of uploads.
“Based on the witness’s testimony, the editing process, narrative writing, descriptions, and upload timing were all carried out by the individual concerned under the instructions and direction of the channel owner,” he said.
The examination revealed that SB had been working with Pandji since 2010 as a video editor. From 2019 onwards, he shifted his focus to serving as the administrator of the comedian’s YouTube channel.
“The investigation is still ongoing. We are prioritising professionalism and transparency in handling every public complaint,” he said.
It was previously reported that the questioning of comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono by Bareskrim Polri investigators marked a new chapter in the controversy surrounding alleged insults against the Toraja people.
On Monday, 2 February 2026, Pandji attended the Bareskrim Polri headquarters in South Jakarta to undergo questioning as a reported suspect witness.
During the examination, Pandji stated that he had to answer dozens of questions, all of which related to the stand-up comedy material in question.
“Forty-eight questions were put to me. All concerning my stand-up material, the material in my video,” Pandji said after being questioned.
Pandji stated that he chose to be cooperative and to follow the entire legal process. He emphasised that he was not avoiding the examination and was prepared to provide any testimony required by investigators.
Comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono became embroiled in the controversy after allegedly denigrating the culture and customs of the Toraja people through jokes on one of his YouTube channels.