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