Mysterious Mobs Dispersing Protesters in Pejompongan

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Aban Sobandi’S eyes remained fixed on the crowds along Jalan Pejompongan Raya in Central Jakarta on Thursday night, August 27, 2026. The head of Neighborhood Association (RT) 002 in Community Association (RW) 06, Bendungan Hilir Subdistrict, Tanah Abang, was looking for his residents in the crowd.

Hundreds of people filled the streets at the time. Earlier that evening, they had staged a demonstration outside the gates of the Parliament Complex in Senayan. They scattered after police dispersed the crowd with tear gas. Many regrouped in Pejompongan.

Aban was looking for residents who had become caught up among the demonstrators. But he was not particularly worried. At first, nothing seemed suspicious. Later, he saw a truck stop beneath the Pejompongan flyover between 9pm and 10pm, carrying dozens of men.

The crowd in Pejompongan, which had initially been calm, suddenly grew tense after the group arrived. From the direction of the flyover, the unidentified men charged at people in the street. Several people were injured after being beaten. Some demonstrators fought back. “The attacks came back and forth,” Aban told Tempo on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.