Prisoners run amok in Mojokerto
Prisoners run amok in Mojokerto
ID Nugroho, Surabaya, East Java
Inmates of Mojokerto Penitentiary rioted on Thursday, pelting
windows with stones after they learned that another inmate had
been hit by a prison guard.
No fatalities were reported in the incident, but one convict
was wounded and another was arrested for provoking the riot.
A prison official said the incident began early Wednesday
morning when one inmate, Zakaria, claimed to have lost his cell
phone. Zakaria then approached fellow inmate Roni in the exercise
yard and accused him of stealing it.
Roni denied the accusation, and both inmates started to fight.
Prison guards immediately separated them.
The next day prison guards became wary when Rofik, a friend of
Roni's, approached Zakaria in the exercise yard and appeared to
have something under his shirt, which the guards thought could be
a concealed weapon.
Akadun, a guard, demanded Rofik surrender whatever he had in
his possession, but he refused. Akadun then apparently hit Rofik,
who immediately ran to friends who were in a hall in the
penitentiary.
As a symbol of solidarity, Rofik's friends strode angrily
toward Akadun and other guards, who turned and fled.
The group of prisoners began pelting windows with stones and
other materials.
The other 200 or so inmates in the hall joined in the fray,
and dozens of other inmates still in their cells began pulling at
bars and shouting noisily.
The penitentiary houses 285 inmates.
The police were called in and restored order at 1 p.m., four
hours after the riot began.
Mojokerto Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Yovi Anesmahar said the
incident was being investigated.
"For a start, the cell phone story could not be true because
no inmate is allowed to own a cell phone. Anyway, we will look
into the case," he said.
Police are holding Rofik, who was wounded in the incident, and
another convict who is suspected of being the provocateur.
"The situation in the penitentiary has returned to normal,"
said Yovi.
The country's last prison riot occurred four years ago in
Cipinang Penitentiary in Jakarta, which resulted in the death of
one inmate and injury to several others. The warden of the
penitentiary, Andronicus Takasiliang, was replaced after the
incident in March 2000.