Facts of the Demonstration at Yogyakarta Police Headquarters Following Student Death in Maluku

On Tuesday evening, 24 February 2026, a crowd gathered at the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters. The siege of the DIY Police Headquarters followed the death of a 14-year-old student in Maluku, who was allegedly assaulted by members of the Mobile Brigade some time ago. The perpetrator of the assault was Bripda Mesias Siahaya, a member of the Maluku Police Mobile Brigade. The police officer, whose initials are AT, who assaulted the victim, has now been dismissed by the Indonesian National Police. Scroll down to continue reading The ring road was blocked by hundreds of protesters from 6:00 PM onwards. The demonstration forced a number of shops around the DIY Police Headquarters to close. Mal Pakuwon, located across from the DIY Police Headquarters, also closed access from the north entrance, although it remained open for normal operations. Here is a summary of the demonstration at the DIY Police Headquarters. Siege at the DIY Police Headquarters Hundreds of protesters marched from the east to besiege the DIY Police Headquarters on Tuesday evening. Upon arrival, the crowd, consisting of students and members of the public, quickly pushed against the water barriers set up by the police on the west side of the entrance. The situation became tense when the crowd’s focus shifted to the east side of the DIY Police Headquarters. The crowd began hitting and breaking down the iron fence of the building, causing it to collapse. The anger of the protesters was evident in the demands they shouted in front of the DIY Police Headquarters. This action was a strong protest against the police institution because its personnel had caused the death of a child. “Murderer, murderer, murderer!” shouted the protesters. Protesters: Police Reform Has Not Yielded Results One of the protesters in front of the DIY Police Headquarters, Ude, said that this movement was a culmination of public anger over the assault incident committed by police officers against an elementary school student. According to him, this action was spontaneous and fluid, without any stage for speeches or formal demands. He said that a similar action had been carried out on 29 August 2025 in front of the DIY Police Headquarters. However, this action did not bring about significant changes for the national police institution.

Furthermore, Ude explained that the vandalism, such as graffiti on the fence and the demolition of the gate, was a pure expression of the crowd, who felt that their aspirations were being suppressed. “The people of Yogyakarta today understand that the problem is not just a few individuals, but the entire institution, so this action is an attempt to express that anger,” said Ude during the demonstration on Tuesday evening, 24 February 2026. Other Groups Disperse the Protesters A number of people claiming to be residents of Yogyakarta dispersed the demonstration that took place in front of the DIY Police Headquarters on Tuesday evening, 24 February 2026. According to Tempo’s monitoring, the group of students who held the demonstration by blocking the Ring Road in front of the DIY Police Headquarters scattered. The group, claiming to represent the residents of Yogyakarta, carried wooden and iron sticks and came from the west side. “Disperse, disperse, disperse! We are from the residents! Don’t disturb the peace and traffic in Yogyakarta!” shouted the crowd dispersing the demonstration in front of the DIY Police Headquarters. Some of the student protesters, who initially remained, mostly dispersed, running towards the west side of the Pakuwon Mall. The North Ring Road, which had been blocked since 6:00 PM, was reopened at around 8:30 PM. Three Students Who Were Arrested Were Returned to Their Campuses The DIY Police stated that they had handed over the three students who participated in the action to the respective rectors of their campuses. The three students were briefly arrested by the police during the chaos at the demonstration in front of the DIY Police Headquarters on Tuesday evening, 24 February 2026. “The arrest of the three students occurred in the midst of a demonstration that deviated from the initial goal of peacefully conveying aspirations,” said the Head of Public Relations of the DIY Police, Commissioner Besar Ihsan. While dealing with the crowd that had acted anarchically, Ihsan claimed that police officers continued to strive to prioritize a persuasive approach. “We are also working together with the Jaga Warga (Community Guard) to maintain security and public order,” he said. He denied the use of excessive force and the firing of tear gas by the authorities during the security operation at the scene. “We emphasize that during the security operation, officers were not armed. The sound heard at the scene came from firecrackers brought by the protesters,” he said. Pribadi Wicaksono from Yogyakarta contributed to the writing of this article. Editor’s Choice: Student Dies in Maluku, Protesters: Police Reform Has Not Yielded Results