Sahroni urges police to investigate acid attack case in Babel

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Chairman of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives Ahmad Sahroni has requested the Bangka Belitung Police Chief to personally handle the investigation into the alleged acid attack on environmental activist Muhammad Rosidi from South Bangka, Bangka Belitung. “I ask the Bangka Belitung Police Chief to be firm and directly intervene to give attention to this case and not to delay; immediately investigate the facts of the incident. Whoever the perpetrators are must be revealed to the public as clearly as possible,” Sahroni said in his statement in Jakarta on Thursday. Sahroni expressed anger over the recurring acid attack cases. According to him, acid attacks can happen to anyone, and assaults on critical voices represent a dangerous situation if left unchecked. “This is clearly structured terror, not just for activists but for all of us. This is truly very concerning. And now it’s only just discovered that there’s an incident in Babel. Who will it be tomorrow? It could happen to anyone out there,” he stated. According to him, such threat patterns are very dangerous for civil society security. Therefore, he believes the police must quickly uncover and arrest the perpetrators, and ensure that such incidents do not recur. Previously, Muhammad Rosidi became a victim of an acid attack in front of the K24 Pharmacy on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, Teladan Ward, Toboali Subdistrict, on Tuesday (17/2) around 10:30 PM WIB, when he was about to follow his friend using his car. The suspected perpetrators used a scooter to carry out the action and threw the corrosive acid substance towards the open car window. The acid liquid hit Rosidi’s body, and as a result of the incident, the victim suffered burns to his legs, hands, and groin area. After the incident, the case was reported to the South Bangka Police Station the next day. Rosidi received a police summons for examination to clarify the incident that befell him on Monday (30/3).