Police Reveal Trigger for Man Damaging Railway Barrier and Uprooting Flag in Bantul

A joint team from the Yogyakarta Regional Police, Sleman Police, and Bantul Police is investigating a perpetrator who damaged a flagpole and the Indonesian flag in Kasihan, Bantul, and vandalised a railway crossing barrier in Gamping, Sleman. The investigation revealed the motive stemmed from a family problem.

Yogyakarta Police Head of Public Relations, Commissioner Ihsan, confirmed the suspect, identified as S (24), carried out both acts on the same day, Sunday (9/8). The first incident, the uprooting of the flag, occurred around 5.10pm local time at a resident’s home in Bantul, followed by the destruction of the railway crossing barrier in Sleman at 5.30pm.

“The legal facts found by investigators are that the perpetrator committed these acts under the influence of alcohol, causing his consciousness to be impaired,” Ihsan explained during a press conference at the Sleman Police Station on Tuesday (11/8/2026). “This caused the perpetrator to become impatient, temperamental, and to commit anarchic acts.”

In addition to being intoxicated, Ihsan stated the suspect was also experiencing family problems which drove him to commit the acts. The suspect is a student at a university in Yogyakarta. The family issue stemmed from an argument with his sibling after his studies dragged on without completion.

“Regarding the name of the campus, we respect that. We are focusing on the criminal act. From the initial examination, the suspect was rarely attending classes, so his sibling reprimanded him. This led to the internal family problem,” Ihsan added.

Ihsan stressed that this was the first time the suspect had committed such acts and that the incidents were purely personal. “Once again, we confirm this was a purely personal act by the individual concerned, as he was under the influence of alcohol. There is no connection to any particular group or network,” he concluded.