Police Officer Kneels to Halt Near-Clash Between Residents in Manggarai, NTT
A police officer kneeled in the middle of a main road on Monday, 16 March 2026, to halt a near-clash between two community groups armed with sharp weapons in Bulan Village, Ruteng District, Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). At the time, two groups of armed residents were already facing off against one another.
Kneeling whilst clasping his hands in front of his face, a member of Manggarai Police appealed to residents not to attack each other. Other police officers stood nearby to mediate between the two tense groups.
The conflict involved indigenous communities from Gendang Bung Kaca and Gendang Bung Leko who were in dispute over customary land ownership. The video of the police officer kneeling and pleading to prevent a clash subsequently went viral on social media.
Manggarai Police confirmed the kneeling action taken by one of its personnel.
“Through negotiations conducted in a humane manner, police have continuously appealed to both parties to exercise restraint and not be provoked,” said AKP Gusti Putu Saba Nugraha, Head of Public Relations at Manggarai Police.
“In fact, in attempting to calm the situation, one of our community policing officers was seen kneeling amongst the tense crowd as a manifestation of a humanistic approach and an effort to defuse public emotions,” he added.
This approach ultimately eased the tension. After intensive dialogue, both community groups agreed to exercise restraint and returned to their respective villages under police escort until they reached their traditional houses.
Police Officers on the Ground
Security operations at the location were led directly by Manggarai Police Chief AKBP Levi Defriansyah. He was accompanied by Head of Operations Iptu Bagus Suhartono, Head of Intelligence Iptu Adrianus Gon, and Head of Community Policing Iptu Jonathan Taruk Lembang.
Upon arrival at the location, officers found both community groups had gathered and the situation had become heated.
“However, thanks to the patience and persuasive approach employed by Manggarai Police personnel, a potential clash was successfully prevented without casualties,” Putu explained.
Levi then asked both parties to exercise restraint and not be easily provoked regarding the land dispute. He also urged residents to trust the police with their security.
“To date, the situation in that area has returned to normal,” Putu said.
Manggarai Police personnel remained on alert at the location to anticipate the potential for further conflict. Levi also increased the number of personnel deployed to the field to strengthen security measures.
“This increase in force is expected to provide a sense of security for the community whilst ensuring that law and order in Ruteng District remains secure and conducive,” Putu concluded.
Nearly a Clash on the Road
As previously reported, two groups of armed residents carrying sharp weapons had already faced off on a main road with only approximately three metres between them.
“There was no clash; the distance was only about two to three metres between the Bung Kaca and Bung Leko groups,” said Bulan Village Chief Yuvensianus Hamat.
“The cause was a plot of land in dispute between Gendang Bung Leko and Bung Kaca, with each claiming legitimate ownership of the land,” he continued.
Yuvens explained the incident began when residents from Gendang Bung Kaca were returning from the disputed land towards their village. Learning of this, residents from Gendang Bung Leko rushed to the location.
The two groups then met on the road and nearly came to blows. Security officials together with village authorities eventually intervened to mediate and direct residents to return to their respective traditional houses.
“We intervened to direct them to return to their traditional houses to secure their communities,” said Yuvens.