Nine police officers named suspects after UMI attack
Andi Hajramurni, Makassar
Police investigators named nine police personnel as suspects on Monday, following a brutal police attack on Saturday at the Indonesia Muslim University (UMI) that seriously injured 65 students.
The outgoing chief of the South Sulawesi Provincial Police, Insp. Gen. Jusuf Manggabarani, said that the police personnel were charged for assaulting the students in violation of Articles 351 and 170 of the Criminal Code that carried a maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment.
He said that one of the nine police personnel was a middle- ranking police officer, First Insp. F. Erwanto, a chief of a police unit at the East Makassar Police precinct. The remaining eight police personnel were low-ranking police personnel.
Jusuf said that as of Monday, police investigators had questioned 27 police personnel, nine of whom had been named suspects. "The joint police investigators from the National Police headquarters and the South Sulawesi Provincial Police will question more police personnel and civilians," said Jusuf, who was immediately removed from his position after his men stormed the UMI campus on Saturday.
The police personnel stormed the campus in a bid to release a policeman who had reportedly been taken hostage by students, following a student protest condemning the rearrest of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, 66, a controversial Muslim cleric, on terrorism charges.
Meanwhile, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar held a quick briefing during a stopover at Makassar International Airport, and told high-ranking police personnel that they should learn from the incident. He was on his way to the troubled city of Ambon.
Da'i said that the police should use their weaponry to protect society and not abuse them to oppress society.
He was quoted by Antara as saying the recording of the incident would be used as a teaching material for police cadets.
In the briefing, which was also attended by National Police and South Sulawesi Police top brass, Da'i also called on students to stop demonstrations because the protests had began to disturb public order.
Da'i said that the police had removed four police officers responsible for the attack, hence the students no longer had strong grounds to continue demonstrating. The four police officers in question were Jusuf Manggabarani, Makassar Police precinct chief Sr. Comr. Jose Rizal Effendy, East Makassar Police precinct chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Suprianto and chief of Panakkukang Police subprecinct, Adj. Comr. Parambungan.
Despite the call, demonstrations still occurred in several campuses in Makassar on Monday afternoon. The students from various campuses in Makassar blocked several main roads in Makassar city and burned used tires. They condemned the brutal attack and demanded the perpetrators be severely punished.
Police personnel, led by Jusuf, dispersed the student protesters on Monday afternoon. But, shortly after the police left the streets and campuses, another incident occurred in the city.
Four police cadets at Batua Police Academy in the city were assaulted by students after they passed UMI and the 45 University of Makassar, on their way to the academy at 5 p.m.
One cadet Arman, 19, was taken out of a public transportation minibus and beaten and kicked by students in front of the 45 University, while three others were pelted by stones after they refused to abandon the public transportation minibus in front of the UMI campus. They were Syamrin, 18, Jafri Salman, 21 and Syahrul, 19. They were treated at a Makassar hospital on Monday night.
Separately in Jakarta, human rights group Imparsial condemned the brutal attack, saying that it manifested the return of a militaristic attitude among police personnel.