Protesters in Front of the DIY Police Headquarters Repelled, Ring Road Reopens

The protesters, who had been demonstrating in front of the DIY Police Headquarters, began to be repelled by a group of people at approximately 7:55 PM. They then scattered, leaving the area in front of the DIY Police Headquarters. On the eastern side, a group of people were present, preventing the protesters from advancing.

For about 10 minutes, some protesters remained near the DIY Police Headquarters. A group of people then appeared from the west and dispersed the remaining protesters.

At around 8:21 PM, the blockade on Ring Road Utara, heading east, was lifted, and traffic flow gradually returned to normal.

Previously, hundreds of protesters, consisting of students and members of the public, held a demonstration at the DIY Police Headquarters. This action was an expression of public anger towards the case of a police officer allegedly assaulting a child to death in Maluku.

“This is a form of the anger of the people of Yogyakarta regarding what happened in Maluku. There was a 14-year-old child who was not doing anything wrong, just riding his motorcycle, when he was suddenly hit on the head with a helmet and died,” said one of the protesters, identified as UDE, on Tuesday (February 24, 2026).

He said that the public no longer believes in police reform. According to him, since the last action in August 2025, there have been no significant changes.

“What is happening is that the people of Yogyakarta today understand that the problem is not just a few individuals, but the entire institution,” he said. “So this action is an effort to express the anger of the people of Yogyakarta.”

In this action, they did not bring a stage for speeches, nor were there any specific demands being voiced.

“There is no draft of demands, nor is there a stage for speeches, and so on. So this action is indeed fluid, it is truly fluid,” he said.