Protesters in Yogyakarta Express Outrage Over Student's Death in Maluku

A large group of protesters gathered in front of the Yogyakarta Regional Police headquarters last night. One of the demonstrators stated that the action was a manifestation of public anger over the case of a Brimob officer who allegedly assaulted and killed a child in Maluku.

Road Blockade and Fence Destruction

As observed by detikJogja on Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of people arrived at the Yogyakarta Regional Police headquarters on foot starting at 6:00 PM. They came from the east.

Some of the protesters then pushed against a water barrier in front of the Yogyakarta Regional Police on the west side, blocking the road. Meanwhile, the majority of the protesters concentrated on the fence on the east side. They hit and broke the fence until it collapsed. The protesters also spray-painted the police fence. From outside the fence, the protesters threw objects into the police yard. Inside the yard, the Yogyakarta Regional Police had installed a barbed wire fence since earlier in the day. As of 6:48 PM, the protesters continued to arrive.

“Murderer, murderer, murderer,” the protesters shouted.

Protest Over Student’s Death in Maluku

As observed by detikJogja, the protesters consisted of students and the general public.

“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, 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 night.

He said that the public no longer believes in police reform. According to him, since the demonstrations in August 2025, there have been no significant changes. “What is happening is that the people of Yogyakarta now realize that the problem is not just a few bad apples, but the entire institution,” he said. He added that 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. There were also no specific demands. The action was described as a spontaneous one. “In fact, we didn’t have any demands, no draft of demands, no stage for speeches, and so on. So this action was indeed fluid, very fluid,” he said.

Spontaneous Demonstration

According to the protester, all the actions in this demonstration took place spontaneously. This includes when they spray-painted the fence and broke down the fence. He said that this was a form of expression of disappointment with the police institution.

“We didn’t have a schedule for the action. It was really an action where people knew to gather at 4:30 PM at UPN, then walk together to the police headquarters, and that was it, occupying the police headquarters. That’s all, it was that simple,” he said.

“There was no time limit or planned activities,” he added. As observed by detikJogja until 7:25 PM, the protesters had broken down the fence on the east side of the Yogyakarta Regional Police headquarters. They rushed into the police yard. However, a barbed wire fence had been set up in the police yard to prevent the protesters from entering further. Despite this, the protesters managed to break down the barbed wire fence. Meanwhile, members of the Yogyakarta Regional Police were on alert across from the barbed wire fence. They were on standby with one armored vehicle.

Protesters Pushed Back

The protesters were eventually pushed back by a group of people around 7:55 PM. The Ring Road North road, which had been blocked, was finally opened. The protesters then dispersed and left the road in front of the Yogyakarta Regional Police headquarters. On the east side, there was a group of people who prevented the protesters from moving forward. About 10 minutes later, some of the protesters were still present around the Yogyakarta Regional Police headquarters. From the west, a group of people appeared and dispersed the remaining protesters. Around 8:21 PM, the road blockade on Ring Road North leading east was lifted. Traffic flow gradually returned to normal.

Case of Student’s Death in Maluku

As reported by detikNews, Bripda MS, a member of the Brimob of the Maluku Police, was found to have violated the Code of Ethics of the Indonesian National Police in the case of the assault that resulted in the death of a junior high school student with the initials AT (14) in the city of Tual, Maluku. Bripda MS was dismissed with dishonor for violating the code. “The Police Ethics Commission issued a decision stating that, first, the violator’s behavior was considered a disgraceful act. Second, the violator was placed in a special detention facility for 4 days, starting from February 21, 2026, to February 24, 2026. And third, the violator was dismissed from the police force,” said the Head of Public Relations of the Maluku Police, Kombes Rusitah Umasugi, on Tuesday morning.

Previously, MS had also apologized and admitted that he was negligent and that his actions caused the teenager’s death. “I sincerely apologize to the victim’s parents and family. I was negligent and did not think about the impact of my negligence,” said Bripda Mesias during the Police Ethics Hearing (KKEP) at the Maluku Police, on Tuesday morning, as reported by detikSulsel.