Denny Sumargo Urges Public Oversight in Case of Santri Burned in Lombok

Presenter and actor Denny Sumargo has spoken out after learning that two santri, victims of an alleged burning at a pondok pesantren in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, were prevented from travelling to Jakarta. According to information he received, the victims were stopped by police at the airport, preventing them from fulfilling an invitation to appear on his podcast. The alleged burning case had previously drawn public attention. The incident resulted in the death of one santri, while two other victims suffered severe burns leading to permanent disability. Sumargo responded via his social media upload on Wednesday (8/7), expressing concern for the condition of the victims and their families. He also highlighted the handling of the case, which, according to the victims’ family, has shown no progress despite being reported several months ago. ‘What if that was your child? What would you do? This case, according to the victim’s family, was reported around seven to eight months ago, but there is no breakthrough,’ Sumargo said via his Instagram account. Sumargo and his team then took the initiative to oversee the case. They invited the two victims to appear on the podcast. Travel tickets and accommodation for the victims’ families had been prepared for their trip to Jakarta. However, the plan fell through after he received news that they were not permitted to continue their journey. ‘But today I got news that they were not allowed to leave,’ he revealed. ‘Why were they unable to depart? What actually happened? The public does not want to blame anyone. It is precisely because they see victims who have lost so much, yet still struggle to make their voices heard. If there is indeed nothing wrong with the process, then transparency is the best answer.’ According to Sumargo, an open explanation would prevent speculation among the public. He urged the public to continue monitoring the legal process of the case. ‘Please help oversee it,’ he stressed. Several hours later, Sumargo uploaded a second video regarding the case. He corrected his statement that the case had been reported seven months ago. ‘I just finished talking to the lawyer assisting the victims. He said this incident actually occurred in December 2025. Meanwhile, the police report was only made in June 2026,’ he revealed. The reason was that the family was still waiting for good faith from the alleged perpetrator and the pondok pesantren. Sumargo then disclosed, based on information obtained from lawyer Joko Jumadi, that the victims had not been permitted to travel because they were still undergoing treatment at the local hospital. Previously, Ahmad Deven Ramdan (14) and Sahid Al Hudri (14) were unable to depart for Jakarta to fulfil the podcast invitation from Denny Sumargo. The two santri victims of the burning at the Rosudatussaulatiyah Al Ibrahimy Islamic Boarding School in Central Lombok were stopped by police at Zainuddin Abdul Majid International Airport (BIZAM) in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Their departure was halted because both victims were still receiving treatment at the hospital. Additionally, the legal process for the alleged burning case involving both of them is still ongoing with the police.