Probe into fatal shooting demanded

Probe into fatal shooting demanded

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A number of Aceh provincial councillors said on Friday they could
not accept the reasons given by the police for the fatal shooting
of a student and demanded a thorough investigation into the case.

"We deplore this incident and demand that the law enforcers
bring the shooter to justice," one of the councillors, Mukhlis
Mukhtar, said as quoted by Antara.

His fellow councillor, Muhammad Saleh, joined the chorus of
condemnation, saying the police apology should not stop the legal
process from going ahead.

A police officer, identified only as Brig. AS, opened fire on
Muhammad Iqbal, a chemical engineering student at Syah Kuala
University, on Thursday following a minor traffic accident
involving the two in front of Baitturahman Grand Mosque in Banda
Aceh.

Iqbal was shot in the head and died later in the day at the
Zainal Abidin Hospital. Iqbal's body was buried on Friday.

Aceh Police chief Insp. Gen. Yusuf Manggabarani apologized for
the incident and promised to severely punish his errant
subordinate, who is now under detention.

Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Dede Ahmad said AS had fired a
warning shot before he finally gunned down Iqbal at an
intersection in Ateuk Pahlawan subdistrict on the outskirts of
Banda Aceh.

Saleh said the officer should not have shot Iqbal.

Some witnesses said the student had his arms up before he was
shot.

"Even if the police officer was forced to open fire, he should
not have aimed at the student's head but at some other part of
his body so as to immobilize him," Saleh said.

Mukhlis said there was no justification for the officer's act,
despite the fact that Aceh came was tightly controlled by the
military and police due to the continuing separatist campaign in
the province.

"The police, as the institution mandated to control security
here, should enforce the law and protect people," Mukhlis said.

Banda Aceh Legal Aid Institute director Rufriadi said the
police chief's apology should be followed by legal action against
AS.

"We hope the case won't be settled within the police force.
The officer must be brought to trial as the case will serve as a
test of professionalism in the police force," Rufriadi said.

Law No. 2/2002 on the National Police stipulates that an
officer who commits a crime is to be tried in the local district
court instead of a military tribunal as happened in the past.