Revealed: Flag Vandal in Bantul is a State University Student
Police have revealed that the perpetrator who damaged a flagpole and the Red and White flag in Kasihan, Bantul, is a university student. Police stated the individual studies at a state university in Sleman.
“The perpetrator of the flag vandalism in Kasihan is a student at a state university in Jogja, but the perpetrator is not a resident of Jogja, rather from outside Jogja,” said Bantul Police Criminal Investigation Unit Head AKP Subihan Afuan Ardhi when contacted by detikJogja on Tuesday.
When asked for the name of the campus, Subihan declined to provide details. “It is a state campus in the Sleman Regency area,” he said.
A CCTV recording showing a motorcyclist vandalising a Red and White flagpole in Kwaron, Kasihan, Bantul, went viral on social media. The Bantul Police acknowledged they have not yet received a formal report but are currently conducting an investigation.
The video of the flag vandalism in the residential area circulated on social media, including being uploaded by the Instagram account @merapi_uncover. It was mentioned that the perpetrator is suspected to be the same person who damaged a railway crossing barrier in Gamping, Sleman.
“Recorded by CCTV in the Kwaron Bantul area yesterday. It is suspected that the same person damaged the railway crossing barrier in Gamping Sleman yesterday,” the @merapi_uncover Instagram account stated, as seen by detikJogja today.
Head of Public Relations for the Bantul Police, Iptu Rita Hidayanto, said that her office is aware of the information. However, to date, no official report has been filed with the Kasihan Police or the Bantul Police. “That is correct, in Kasihan. But there has been no report related to the incident,” she said when contacted by detikJogja on Tuesday (11/8/2026). Nevertheless, the Bantul Police are still investigating the incident. “It is still under investigation,” she said.
The Head of the Bantul Police Criminal Investigation Unit, AKP Subihan Afuan Ardhi, stated that the police are currently probing the incident in Kasihan, Bantul. “We are currently looking deeper into it,” he said.
In the CCTV footage, the motorcyclist is seen stopping in front of a house. The individual appears to pull out the flagpole, then tears the flag off and takes it away. The flagpole was left lying in front of the house.
It is known that the figure widely linked to the flag vandalism is a 24-year-old man with the initial S, who had previously damaged a railway crossing barrier in Banyumeneng, Banyuraden, Gamping, Sleman. S has been detained by police and it was discovered that he was under the influence of alcohol during the incident.
Head of Public Relations for the Sleman Police, Iptu Argo Anggoro, explained that the railway barrier vandalism occurred on Sunday (9/8) at around 5:18 PM Western Indonesia Time. At that time, S was riding a motorcycle from the south and stopped at the crossing because a train was about to pass.
“While at the location, S allegedly went on a rampage and pulled the southern crossing barrier until it broke. After that, S left the location heading north,” Argo said when contacted on Monday (10/8). “About 30 minutes later, S returned to the Banyumeneng Railway Crossing Post and challenged the residents. Upon learning of the incident, residents together with PT KAI officers contacted the Gamping Police. Officers then arrived at the location and detained S for further investigation,” he added.