Brawlers 'scalped' in Indramayu

Brawlers 'scalped' in Indramayu

INDRAMAYU, West Java: Local police shaved the heads of dozens
of locals who were involved in the recent communal brawls that
took place in Jatibarang subdistrict, Indramayu, West Java, on
Sunday.

A police officer said that the brawlers had their heads shaved
to teach them a lesson for ignoring the police's earlier warning
to stop the brawling that frequently occurred in the area.

"During a number of meetings with locals in Indramayu,
particularly in Jatibarang, they were warned several times not to
get involved in anymore communal brawls. However, they ignored
the warnings. This convinced us of the need to deal with them
seriously," Indramayu Police chief Adj. Sen. Commr. Setyo Wasisto
said on Monday as quoted by Antara.

The locals who had their heads shaved were arrested during a
police search operation in Jatibarang shortly after the communal
brawl ended on Sunday night after having continued since Saturday
evening.

During the search, police confiscated various weapons such as
machetes, swords, bows and arrows, catapults and Molotov
cocktails. Setyo said the brawlers could be charged under
Emergency Law No. 12/1951 for possessing illegal weapons as well
as articles of the Criminal Code for public order offenses.

Setyo explained that brawls frequently occurred in the area
and that they had claimed a number of lives. --Antara