Mob torches bus after child's head crushed

Mob torches bus after child's head crushed
Mob torches bus after toddler killed
Toddler killed by Garuda Indonesia bus

Multa Fidrus
The Jakarta Post
Tangerang

It was dawn on Friday and three-year-old Aditya would not stop
crying. His mother, 28-year-old Lestari, could not stand the
noise and asked her brother-in-law, Herman, to buy Aditya a bowl
of chicken porridge.

Fulfilling Lestari's wish, Herman took Aditya on his
motorcycle leaving the house on the Karang Anyar village, Karang
Sari subdistrict, to buy the porridge. Lestari never thought that
it would be the last time she would see her son alive.

On Jl. Simpang Tujuh in Rawa Kucing subdistrict, Tangerang,
Herman lost his balance attempting to pass a Garuda Indonesia bus
carrying airline workers. Both hit the asphalt but Aditya was
thrown in the path of the bus, its rear tire crushing his head.

He died instantly. His body was later taken to the Tangerang
General Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Residents, who saw the traffic accident, became furious and
set the bus on fire.

The bus driver, Zulkifli Siregar, 43, said he was not aware
that Aditya fell from the motorcycle and was thrown beneath the
vehicle.

"I just heard people standing along the road screaming. When I
got out of the bus, the people were still shouting while pointing
at the rear tire," he said.

When Zulkifli realized that Aditya had been killed, he tried
to pacify the angry mob. "Calm down, I will be responsible," he
shouted in panic.

Several policemen, who were directing traffic at the
intersection, helped the driver get away from the mob. At the
same time, the angry people set the bus on fire after ordering
the Garuda employees to leave the vehicle.

The employees continued their journey to work on public
minivans at 6 a.m.

Lestari and her husband Rohadi, who both work at Soekarno-
Hatta International airport, were too traumatized to speak to
reporters.

Herman, Zulkifli and eyewitness Dady were still being
questioned at the Tangerang Police Precinct on Friday afternoon.