Police grill 12 men over killing of campaign leader
ID Nugroho, Jember
Police continued questioning 12 men on Thursday over the killing of the local campaign team chairman for presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jember regency, East Java.
The killing last Tuesday night of Dodik Setyono, also known as Sugiyono, may have had a political message ahead of the Sept. 20 election runoff between Susilo and incumbent Megawati Soekarnoputri, the victim's family and friends have alleged.
However, Jember Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Setyo Prihadi said on Thursday the killing was simply a criminal act. "Right now we are still conducting the investigation, and so far there are no hints of a political motive."
Setyo said 12 suspects were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the killing. Police identified 10 of the suspects as Ismail, Farid, Nurul, Eddy, Ali, Bambang, Eko, Dedi, Junaidi and Deni, all from Sumberjati village in Silo district, Jember.
Sugiyono, who led Susilo's campaign team for Silo district in Jember, was stabbed to death by a group of people while he and another man, Mulyono, were riding on a motorcycle to a wedding party, according to the victim's uncle, Waras Budianto.
He told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that the attack took place at about 10:30 p.m. in the hamlet of Lumbung.
"Sugiyono tried to pass a vehicle that was carrying the attackers. They suddenly ran after him and beat him. Some of them were carrying knives and stabbed him in the chest. Then the perpetrators fled," Waras said.
He said he and his family believed there was some motive behind the killing and urged the police to carry out a thorough investigation. "How could he just be killed over such a trivial matter (as a traffic argument)?"
Setyo said on Wednesday the motive behind the murder remained a mystery.
Several suspects had confessed to attacking Sugiyono because they were offended that he tried to pass their vehicle, the Jember Police chief said.
"Some of them also claimed that the victim refused to pay after losing a race they had bet on," he said.
Sugiyono's death came two weeks after the murder of Suwardjo, the local chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in the neighboring regency of Bondowoso. No suspects have been identified in that murder.
Setyo brushed aside speculation that the killing of Sugiyono was somehow connected with Suwardjo's murder.
The PDI-P won the April 5 legislative election in Jember, with Susilo's Democratic Party finishing second. During the July 5 presidential election in Jember, Susilo received 431,500 votes while Megawati received 304,370.
Sugiyono is survived by his wife Rofiatun, son Dodik, 9, and daughter, Shinta, 2.
Susilo's East Java campaign team said it was saddened by the death of Sugiyono and encouraged the police to carry out a thorough investigation into the killing.