Fireworks Provocation Sparks Violent Brawl in Manggarai

A brawl broke out once again in the Manggarai area of Tebet, South Jakarta. The clash began with fireworks being used to provoke the groups and ended with a local resident’s stall being set on fire.

According to detikcom, the brawl erupted on Sunday, 18 October 2026, in three waves, from the early hours of the morning until later in the morning and again shortly before sunset.

As well as the arson, a mobile-credit shop belonging to a local resident was targeted. The rioters looted several phone cards from the shop.

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung deplored the repeated brawls in Manggarai. He said the government had previously built public sports facilities there in response to residents’ requests.

“During my visit, they asked for public sports facilities to be built, and we have done that using the available corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds,” Pramono said in Cipayung, East Jakarta, on Monday, 19 October.

Police went to the scene and detained six people shortly after the incident. Separately, the Jakarta provincial government agreed to establish a joint post to help prevent further brawls.

Stall burned and shop looted

The brawl on Sunday, 18 October, left a stall damaged and burned. Several motorbikes were also vandalised.

A mobile-credit shop belonging to a local resident was also looted by the groups involved. The trader suffered losses amounting to millions of rupiah.

A trader named Dimas described what happened. He said he had organised a watch to prevent the rioters from looting the shop.

Dimas prepared to close the shop, as looting had occurred there before.

“We were gathered inside to keep watch so they couldn’t get in. The looting had already started; they often take things,” Dimas told Antara on Monday, 19 October.

“There was no warning. They were suddenly right in front of the shop. They smashed the glass and took the jar that was here, and some of the phone cards went missing,” he said.

The shop’s display cabinet was left shattered. About four jars containing chargers, along with several cards kept at the front of the shop, were reported missing.

“Our total loss, including the broken display cabinet, is around Rp2 million. It could be more than Rp2 million,” he said.

He said the perpetrators did not enter the shop. The missing goods had been kept at the front of the premises.

Six people detained by police

South Jakarta Metro Police and Tebet Police went to the scene to respond to the brawl. Six people were detained after the incident.

South Jakarta Metro Police Chief Kombes I Putu Yuni Setiawan said the incident did not last long because police, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the municipal public order agency (Satpol PP) arrived at the scene. No injuries or deaths were reported. Traffic in both directions was also reported to have returned to normal after the brawl.

“So far, six people have been detained. We will look into the matter further,” Putu Yuni told Antara on Monday, 19 October.

Fireworks provocation cited as trigger

Putu Yuni said the brawl began after several groups of youths provoked one another using fireworks. There was a disturbance, but a swift police response dispersed the crowd and brought the brawl to an end.

The police chief said there had been no fatalities. After the incident, police and relevant agencies began working together on measures to prevent a recurrence.

“Follow-up measures are now being carried out. We hope incidents like this will not happen again,” he said.

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung also discussed the cause of the brawl. He said provocation between two groups of youths, including throwing objects and setting off fireworks, led to the clash and fires.

“First, regarding the brawl, the two groups of youths were provoking one another, then setting off fireworks and so on, which led to the brawl,” Pramono said.

Joint post planned at the scene

In response to the repeated clashes, Governor Pramono said the provincial government was preparing preventive measures. The Jakarta administration, the military, police and local youths agreed to set up a joint post.

“Yesterday, the police, the military and the Jakarta provincial government agreed with the local youths to establish a joint post,” Pramono said in Cipayung, East Jakarta, on Monday, 19 October.

“I have approved the plan, and hopefully it will help prevent brawls in the area,” he added.

Pramono said police, the military and the South Jakarta mayor had gone to the scene during the brawl. He also said he had coordinated with the mayor on how to handle the incident.