Commission V: Law Enforcement for Train Accidents Must Not Stop at the Driver

The Chairman of Commission V of the House of Representatives (DPR), Lasarus, stated that law enforcement regarding long-distance train and Commuter Line (KRL) accidents at Bekasi Timur Station must not stop solely with the train driver, but must encompass every responsible party.

“I must respect the authority of investigators, and we certainly hope this does not end with the driver, as the KNKT (National Transportation Safety Committee) report also mentions that there were issues with the signalling system,” he said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He noted that according to the KNKT report submitted to the DPR, the accident last April was partly caused by signalling problems. According to him, these findings need to be investigated by the police.

Communication systems, which were also reported to be problematic during the incident, as well as non-compliance with train departure schedules, are also deemed necessary to investigate.

He stated that the Criminal Code stipulates that negligence resulting in the loss of another person’s life is a criminal offence. Therefore, all parties related to the accident must be held legally accountable.

“If we want to untangle this, it must be thoroughly untangled. Everything must be traced one by one. If one person has been named a suspect, everyone involved must be held accountable,” said Lasarus.

Previously, the General Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Metro Jaya Regional Police named one suspect, identified by the initials AN (37), the driver of the Argo Bromo Anggrek train, in relation to the train accident at Bekasi Timur Station.

“Based on the results of the investigation and the evidence collected, investigators have named one suspect with the initials AN, a 37-year-old male,” said the Deputy Director of General Criminal Investigation of Metro Jaya Regional Police, AKBP I Dewa Putu Gede Anom Danujaya, during a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday (29/9).

Dewa explained that the suspect, who is the driver of the Argo Bromo Anggrek train, is being charged under Articles 323, 324, and/or 474 of Law Number 1 of 2023 regarding the Criminal Code, as well as Articles 198 and/or 206 of Law Number 23 of 2007 regarding Railways.

“The maximum penalty is five to 12 years in prison. Furthermore, investigators will summon the suspect for questioning,” he said.