High school student avoids brawl but crushed by minibus

JAKARTA (JP): A senior technical high school student died on Jl. Raya Bekasi Barat in East Jakarta in a hit-and-run incident Wednesday after he tried to avoid a potential student brawl.

Abdul Rahman (Oman), 17, a second year student at STM Hatawana was on his way to a friend's house in Klender, East Jakarta, with some schoolmates when the incident happened at about midday, his aunt, Elvia, said.

The students were on board a 506 minibus plying the Kampung Melayu-Pondok Kopi route at noon, Elvia, a resident of Kebon Pala, Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta, said.

When the minibus passed the Rawa Bening military district office near the Jatinegara railway station, a group of students from another technical high school started shouting at those on board.

The group, believed to be students from the privately run Kebon Sirih technical high school, known as STM Bonser, ran after the minibus, she said.

Students from the two schools have clashed many times in the past few years.

Oman's friends immediately jumped off the minibus and ran in different directions, but Oman, who jumped a little later, was hit by a bus from behind.

Elvia said Oman's head was crushed by a Mayasari Bakti vehicle plying the Pulo Gadung-Cililitan route and that he died instantly.

His body was then taken to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital morgue in Central Jakarta.

Oman's friends could not explain why he did not want to jump off the minibus together with them, she said.

"He possibly changed his mind for fear of being attacked by the STM Bonser students."

Second Sgt. Gunawan from the Kebon Nanas traffic police unit said that police would search for the driver of the Mayasari Bakti bus.

"We came here (to the morgue) to check the victim," he said.

"The victim was careless because he was not aware of the possibility of a bus coming from behind, but usually the blame lies with the driver," he said.

Oman was the third son of four and according to his aunt, he was a kind-hearted boy. His father, Jaswadi, is an employee of a state-owned cooperative unit in East Jakarta.

"As far as I know Oman had never been involved in any brawling," she said.

"But his friends told me that the Bonser students were their enemies."

Oman's body was removed from hospital after being examined and was buried in the Kebon Nanas cemetery in East Jakarta.

"He died in a street accident, that's his fate," Elvia said. "We can accept this." (04)