Head of Commission X of the DPR: Campuses Must Not Become Arenas for Violence

The Head of Commission X of the DPR, Hetifah Sjaifudian, condemned the act of violence committed by a male student against a female student at the Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau Islamic University on Thursday, February 26, 2026. Hetifah regretted the incident that caused the female student to be seriously injured.

“Such acts of violence are absolutely unacceptable, especially since they occurred on campus, which should be a safe space for learning and growth,” said the Golkar Party politician in a written statement on Thursday.

According to Hetifah, the swift action taken by law enforcement officers in arresting the perpetrator and processing the case is appropriate. She emphasized the importance of a transparent and victim-centered legal process. “The legal process must be firm and fair. However, it is equally important that the victim receives adequate medical, psychological support, and protection,” she said.

Hetifah believes that this incident once again shows that campuses are not immune to various forms of violence, both physical and psychological. Therefore, she encourages all university administrators to prioritize the safety of the academic community.

“Campuses must not become arenas for violence in any form. The safety of students, lecturers, and education staff is a basic prerequisite for the provision of dignified higher education,” said Hetifah.

Hetifah said that the Regulation of the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Number 55 of 2024 on the Prevention and Handling of Violence in Higher Education (PPKPT) should be the basis for campuses to form a task force to handle reporting and ensure victim protection. For religious campuses such as UIN, Hetifah also encourages them to refer to the PPKPT even though they are not under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology.

“I think this policy also needs to be seriously implemented in religious universities. Cases of violence can happen anywhere, so we need to think about and arrange the prevention and handling system together across ministries,” she said.

Furthermore, Hetifah encourages the implementation of PPKPT to become a national priority agenda in the higher education sector, followed by supervision and coordination. As a partner of the Ministry of Education, Hetifah is committed to ensuring that Commission X of the DPR will continue to encourage coordination between universities, ministries and civil society so that PPKPT can run effectively and campuses become inclusive spaces.

A female student at UIN Suska Riau suffered serious injuries after being attacked by a male student on campus on Thursday. One of the students, Dimas, said the incident occurred while the victim was waiting for her turn to present her proposal in the Faculty of Sharia and Law.

“We were studying in the next room. When we looked out, we saw the perpetrator attacking the victim in front of the room. We didn’t dare to help because the perpetrator was carrying an axe,” he said, as reported by Antara.

According to Dimas, campus security personnel then arrived and managed to secure the perpetrator as he was about to attack the victim again. The Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Pekanbaru Police, AKP Anggi Rian Diansyah, when confirmed, said that the perpetrator had been secured at the Binawidya Police Station along with evidence in the form of an axe and a machete used in the incident.

He explained that the victim had received intensive care at the Bhayangkara Hospital in Pekanbaru due to the severe cuts on her head and arms, and was scheduled to be referred to a hospital with more complete facilities.

“It is suspected that the motive was a personal matter related to a romantic relationship, but we are still investigating the motive and chronology,” said Anggi.