Nine police officers named suspects after UMI attack
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.