Police accused of wrongful arrests in church attack
Moh. Darlis, Palu
Central Sulawesi Police have been accused of arresting the wrong suspects in the latest attack on a church in the provincial capital, Palu, which killed a clergywoman.
Police officers reportedly shot Bambang, 27, in the leg and arrested him during a raid on a house in Moko village, North Lore district, at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
He is being detained as a suspect over the July 18 killing of Rev. Susianty Tinulele, 29, by masked gunmen who stormed the Effata Presbyterian church in Palu.
The police also named Bambang's boss, Kamal, 35, as a suspect in the same incident but did not detain him after he was questioned on Thursday night.
Kamal, accompanied by his wife, Cahyati, and five witnesses, went to the Central Sulawesi office of the Legal Development and Human Rights Institute (LPSHAM) on Friday to seek legal assistance.
Speaking to journalists at the LPSHAM, Kamal said he considered Bambang a relative, as the latter had been working for the former's PT Cipta Mori Utama for years.
According to Kamal, the police searched his house on Jl. Maleo No. 90, South Palu, on Thursday, but did not find firearms or explosives as evidence.
Meanwhile, witness Anwar, who works with Bambang at PT Cipta Mori Utama, said the detained suspect and other employees were sitting together at a house on Jl. Tombolotutu, Palu, when the church attack took place.
"I wonder why he (Bambang) has been accused of involvement in the incident, while I was with him at the time?" Anwar said.
Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Taufik Ridha declined to comment on Friday on the wrongful arrest accusation. He appeared to avoid journalists after performing Friday prayers at his office.
Nor did his spokesman, Adj. Sr. Comr. Victor Batara, make any comment.
LPSHAM director Syamsu Alam Agus said his organization would lodge a protest with the provincial police for what he said was an "emotional" approach in the hunt for suspects in the death of Susianty.
The police were "inaccurate" in making a decision, when they declared Bambang and Kamal suspects in the attack, he said.
"Because the police were emotional in using their firearms too readily, it's hardly surprising if local people are rather reluctant to give information on renewed attacks," Syamsu added.
Kamal admitted that his three children were afraid of going to school after their father had been named a suspect in the killing of the clergywoman.
"My family is restless because I have been accused of committing the murder," he said.
The July 18 incident was the latest in a string of attacks by unidentified people on Christian targets in Central Sulawesi.
Officials say the attackers want to provoke a new round of Muslim-Christian battles after as many as 2,000 people died in Poso regency between 2000 and 2001.