Cak Imin's Remarks on Kiai Molesting Female Student in Pati Pesantren
In response to the case of a kiai molesting female students at a pesantren in Pati, Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar, or Cak Imin, emphasised that no cleric or kiai exploits their students unless they have manipulative intentions from the start.
“There is no cleric who exploits their students unless that person has had manipulative intentions from the beginning. Like the one in Pati, he was never known at all,” said Cak Imin, when met at the BP Jamsostek Plaza office in South Jakarta on Friday (8/5/2026).
According to Cak Imin, the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) must evaluate and tighten regulations for all pesantrens in Indonesia, including their licensing.
“Those indicated (of suspected sexual harassment) must be closed. The licensing (for establishing pesantrens) must be important. No educational institution should be granted a licence easily,” he explained.
“For pesantrens that are closed like this one, which has faced this misfortune, the students should immediately be transferred to proper pesantrens. Local governments, we are ready to back them up,” he added.
He assessed that the molestation case in the pesantren is like the tip of the iceberg phenomenon that needs to be addressed seriously.
“This is a sign of the tip of the iceberg phenomenon that must definitely be guarded against. I have come to the conclusion of an emergency in tackling violence in educational institutions or pesantrens,” said Cak Imin.
Police stated that they have obtained sufficient preliminary evidence after examining witnesses and conducting scene processing.
Pati Police Chief Kombes Pol Jaka Wahyudi stated that the suspect, the pesantren supervisor named Ashari, was designated as a suspect on 28 April 2026 following a case review.
The case was actually reported as early as 2024, while the molestation of the victims is suspected to have occurred since 2020.
However, police claimed that the handling process after the 2024 report was delayed due to attempts at family-style resolution from the victims’ side.
Although already designated as a suspect, the perpetrator has not yet been detained because he is considered cooperative during the examination process.
The Jatanras Team of the Central Java Police succeeded in arresting AS, the kiai designated as a suspect in the alleged molestation of female students at Pondok Pesantren Ndolo Kusumo, Pati, Central Java.
AS was designated as a suspect since Tuesday (28/4/2026), but immediately became a fugitive after failing to appear for examination on Monday (4/5/2026).
Police initially suspected the suspect had fled outside Central Java, but the perpetrator was finally captured in Wonogiri Regency.