Kupang police personnel tribunal for assaulting students
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post/Kupang
Hundreds of students from several universities in Kupang staged a rally on Friday, protesting recent arbitrarily arrest and assault on five students from Widya Mandira Catholic University.
The protest was held at the East Nusa Tenggara provincial council. The students said the police had grossly violated human rights.
The students demanded that the police officers involved in the incident be punished and Kupang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Nugroho be removed from his current post.
The arrest happened on Saturday when the students were attending a graduation on the campus.
Alexandro de Carvalho, a law student, said some police officers entered the campus and picked out five students, including himself, from a crowd. They were taken to a quiet place nearby and were beaten, kicked and thrown into a ditch. Afterwards they were taken to Kupang Police station, where they spent the night in a cell. "We don't know why we were abducted and assaulted," said Carvalho.
Ayom Alfred Peni, an economic student said he was thrown into a ditch and a policeman kicked him in the head. A group of police officers used obscene language including calling them "communists".
Separately, East Nusa Tenggara Police chief, Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang acknowledged that his subordinates were out of control when they assaulted the students.
According to Aritonang's version, his subordinates were directing traffic in front of the university, when several students on motorcycles, sped out of the campus. The police officers stopped them because they were drunk, said Aritonang.
"The students became angry and said dirty words to the police officers. It sparked the policemen to become angry and they assaulted them," he said.
Aritonang said four police personnel were being tried before a police tribunal for minor assault.
Councillor Melkianus Adoe after receiving the students, demanded that the police officers be dealt with according to law.