Cak Imin: Sexual Violence Suspect at Pati Islamic Boarding School Not a Kiai
Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar said that the suspect in a sexual violence case at Pondok Pesantren Ndholo Kusumo in Pati, Central Java, identified only as AS, does not have the standing to be described as a kiai. According to the man often called Cak Imin, the suspect is in fact a dukun who pretends to be an Islamic religious leader.
“I dare say what happened in Pati, what happened in West Java, is not a real kiai. A dukun dressed as a kiai, roughly speaking, a dukun cloaked as a kiai,” he said in Central Jakarta on Monday night, 18 May 2026.
He explained that the actions of the individual undermine the civilisational values that pesantren have long upheld and he believes the case has stained the reputation of pesantren as one of Indonesia’s oldest educational institutions.
Cak Imin urged the Indonesian Police to respond decisively to reports of sexual violence in the community. He also called for perpetrators of sexual violence to be punished severely, warning against people taking the law into their own hands.
Earlier on Monday night, Cak Imin opened a forum called ‘Gerakan Anti Kekerasan Seksual di Pondok Pesantren’ initiated by the Central Board of the National Awakening Party. The event brought together policymakers including Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar, Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Arifah Fauzi, and 260 pesantren administrators from 22 provinces.
According to Cak Imin, the forum, held on 18-19 May, aims to produce policy recommendations to shield pesantren from sexual violence. The plan involves two approaches: preventing all forms of violence and reconstructing sexual education.
“To local governments we urge them to open hotlines, to socialise and to maintain government performance with educational institutions. The key is for regional leaders to be proactive and not to let this go unaddressed,” he said.
Police arrested AS, the leader of the pesantren who is the suspect in the sexual violence case, when he fled to Wonogiri Regency on Thursday, 7 May 2026. He was captured after skipping interrogation on Monday, 4 May 2026.
Earlier, one victim reported the incident to PatI Police on 2024. However, police only named the suspect on 28 April 2026. Hundreds of people gathered outside the suspect’s house on 30 April 2026 demanding that the case be investigated promptly.
Head of the Pati City Police, Senior Commissioner Jaka Wahyudi, revealed the doctrine taught to his students. “The modus operandi was to indoctrinate the pupil that the student must follow whatever the teacher says, so that the student can absorb the knowledge,” he told a press conference at the Pati Police Station on 7 May 2026.
He added that, according to the victim’s confession, the sexual violence occurred from February 2020 to January 2024. The victim only felt able to tell their parents after graduation. Jaka said the suspect initially asked the victim to massage him, then proceeded to molest the victim. “The acts were carried out by the perpetrator against the victim ten times,” he said.