Protest in Dompu Turns Chaotic as Police Drag Student Demonstrator

A demonstration held by the Liga Mahasiswa untuk Demokrasi (LMD) in front of the Dompu Regency DPRD office in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) turned chaotic. Police on guard even dragged one of the protesters away. Police pulled the student out of the line. The student, named Ferdiansyah, felt choked until his shirt tore. “Earlier I was choked until I was short of breath, my shirt tore because they forcibly pulled me as they wanted to detain me,” Ferdiansyah said when met by detikBali during the demonstration on Monday (4/5/2026). Ferdiansyah recounted that he managed to escape the police’s chokehold with help from his friends. Fortunately, the commotion did not last long, and the students resumed their orations. The chaos began when a group of students hijacked a red-plated vehicle. They climbed onto the official car as a form of anger towards the government programme. The guarding police then tried to stop the students’ action because it was deemed capable of damaging state facilities. The students, unwilling to accept it, then resisted. Pushing and pulling ensued. Ferdiansyah revealed that the rally was held in connection with the commemoration of National Education Day (Hardiknas) 2026. The protesters criticised issues regarding the planned layoffs of thousands of honorary teachers in Dompu. In addition, they also raised issues of misuse of official vehicles and the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. “We highlight the issue of official vehicles used to process farmers’ corn, which is not allowed. We also see many official vehicles parked haphazardly; they should have their own parking space,” Ferdiansyah said.