Nine police officers to face the law after campus attack

Abdul Khalik and Andi Hajramurni, Jakarta/Makassar

One high-ranking and eight low-ranking police officers will stand trial while over 30 others will face the police disciplinary committee for their involvement in Saturday's attack on university students in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar told House of representatives commissions I and II on Wednesday that all officers involved in the attack on the Indonesia Muslim University (UMI) would be charged accordingly.

"We have three charges. Several officers will only face a disciplinary committee and administrative punishment such as demotion. Others will be fired, and several officers will stand trial," he said. The attack left 65 students injured.

Insp. Gen. Jusuf Manggabarani, who was South Sulawesi Police chief until he was removed on Monday, said in the hearing that the investigating team had named 21 officers as suspects after questioning 34 police personnel.

He said that one of unit heads of the detective division, First Insp. Irwanto, would face criminal charges because it was he who led other police officers onto the UMI campus.

"We will charge him under articles 351 and 170 of the Criminal Code," said Jusuf.

He added that eight low-ranking police personnel would be charged under the same articles, which stipulate that a person committing mass assault can face a maximum 10 years in prison.

Jusuf added that 12 other middle-ranking officers would face a disciplinary committee with a possible punishment of removal or dismissal.

He said that eight other personnel from the city police headquarters were currently being investigated.

"The number of officers to be brought to court will increase, depending on the ongoing investigation," said Jusuf.

The police stormed the campus on May 1 in a bid to release a policeman who had reportedly been taken hostage by students protesting the rearrest of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, 66, a controversial Muslim cleric, in Jakarta on terrorism charges.

Da'i agreed with one House member who proposed that students who were involved in assaulting police personnel or cadets should be punished according to the law.

"In order to be fair, all people, including students who tortured police personnel, must also be punished based on the Criminal Code," he said.

The campus attack was provoked by the hostage-taking of a policeman by demonstrating students followed by the beating of another officer.

Students continued their rallies on Wednesday against police brutality on several campuses in Makassar. But their actions provoked public reaction in two places. When student protesters tried to enter the residential complex where former police chief Jusuf lives, residents in the complex blocked them. A group of '45 University students heading toward city headquarters were also chased by residents living nearby. The residents were apparently angry at the students for disrupting their daily activities. The chase did not turn into a clash as the students quickly fled to the nearby School of Economics and Management (STIEM) Bungaya.

"If students want to demonstrate, that's fine. But they should not block the road because it will disrupt our activities. The students should also leave Jusuf's family members alone, for they have nothing to do with the UMI case," said one of residents.