Police chief demoted over arson attack on KPUD office

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

The Central Tapanuli Police chief was removed from his post on Wednesday following an arson attack on the regional General Elections Commission (KPUD) office two weeks ago.

However, North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Iwan Pandjiwinata denied the replacement of Adj. Sr. C.B.S Nasution was linked to the attack saying it was a routine replacement.

"The replacement was arranged long before the Idul Fitri holiday, and has nothing to do with the attack," the two-star general said after leading the handover ceremony on Wednesday at the North Sumatra Police Headquarters.

In the closed-door ceremony, Iwan installed new chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Yasdan Rifai, who replaced Nusution. Yasdan was earlier Mandailing Natal Police chief.

Nasution who assumed his post at Central Tapanuli just six months ago, will be transferred to a non-commissioned job at the North Sumatra headquarters.

Asked by reporters about probe into the recent KPU attack, Iwan said police were still working on the case. They had arrested four people believed to have instigated the attack and they were still being questioned, he said. Police were still searching for eight other suspects.

Observers had earlier criticized the police for not acting quickly to stop the attack on the office.

The attack on the KPUD office in Pandan district, Central Tapanuli regency, took place on Oct. 29.

The incident occurred after the office rejected the candidacy of Roslila Sitompul as Central Tapanuli regent in regional elections to be held in January next year.

Roslila, who was running for the election on the Golkar Party ticket, was barred by the KPUD from contesting the election on suspicion of forging her high school diploma.

The supporters of Roslila protested the decision and went on a rampage. They set fire at the KPUD office and razed the building. Protesters accused the KPU members of siding with Tuani Lumban Tobing, Roslila's rival.

Similar unrest over candidate nominations and election results has occurred in Bengkulu province few moths ago.

The country is in the early stages of conducting direct regional elections, which will continue until the end of next year. The first took place in Kutai Kartanegara regency, East Kalimantan, in June.