Ministry of Religious Affairs Urges Pesantren to Strengthen Supervision After Santri Burn Incident in Central Lombok
The Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) has requested that pesantren strengthen supervision of santri activities following a case in which three students suffered burns at an Islamic boarding school in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Kemenag emphasised that pesantren remain responsible for incidents occurring within their educational environment.
Director of Pesantren at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Basnang Said, stated that the incident must serve as a lesson for all pesantren to enhance oversight of various student activities, particularly those that could endanger safety. “Given that this incident occurred at a pesantren and involved santri, the pesantren must still bear this responsibility. Primarily, going forward, it must strengthen supervision of activities carried out by santri,” Basnang said on Thursday (9/7/2026).
Basnang was responding to the case of three santri who suffered burns at a pesantren in Central Lombok. The case is currently being investigated by the police, including the possibility of negligence.
Meanwhile, the management of the Rosyidatushaulatiyyah Al-Ibrahimi Nahdlatul Wathon (NW) pesantren has denied narratives circulating on social media claiming the victims were doused with petrol before being set alight. Chairman of the Rosyidatushaulatiyyah Al-Ibrahimi NW Foundation, TGH Ahmad Muzakki Rahmatullah, said the incident was an accident that occurred when several santri were experimenting with petrol and fire inside a room. “There was none. There was no dousing. There was no dousing,” Muzakki stated in a clarification video circulated on social media.
Muzakki explained that one of the santri had purchased two bottles of petrol, claiming it was to straighten a bent piece of wood using heat to make a catapult. Five santri then entered a room and locked the door so their activity would not be discovered. He said that inside the room, some of the petrol was poured onto a sheet of mica and set alight. When the fire ignited, the open petrol bottle was allegedly knocked over, causing the petrol to spill and the flames to spread in various directions.
According to him, the sparks then hit an area containing a used mattress, causing the fire to grow rapidly. Two santri managed to escape by jumping out, whilst three others were momentarily trapped inside because they were afraid to pass the flames near the door.
He also denied accusations that the pesantren had washed its hands of the victims. He stated that from the outset, the pesantren had provided assistance to the santri who were victims. “We are not washing our hands of this. We are not washing our hands of this,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police are continuing their investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident, including examining the possibility of negligence in the event that caused three santri to suffer burns.