Six People Named as Suspects in Bandung May Day Clashes, Majority Students and Positive for Tramadol Consumption
Six out of seven people arrested in connection with the disturbances during International Labour Day (May Day) 2026 on Friday, 1 May 2026, in Bandung have been named as suspects.
The suspects are believed to have carried out anarchic actions that caused damage to several public facilities in the Tamansari area. This was revealed by the Head of Public Relations of the West Java Regional Police, Commissioner General of Police Hendra Rochmawan.
“The action resulted in the burning of one videotron unit, one police post, and damage to public facilities such as traffic lights,” he said on Saturday, 2 May 2026.
The six, who are mostly students—MRN (21), MRA (17), RS (19), MFNA (19), FAP (21), and HIS (20)—were designated after intensive examinations.
“They have been proven to have committed criminal acts of arson, incitement, and destruction jointly,” he stated.
In uncovering this case, the police seized several dangerous pieces of evidence, including two Molotov cocktails, petrol fuel, and attributes of certain groups such as flags and stickers.
Hendra added that each suspect had different roles, from preparing Molotov cocktails and throwing them to acting as provocateurs in the action.
Furthermore, urine tests showed that all suspects tested positive for consuming the hard drug tramadol.
The police also found several psychotropic substances from one of the suspects, such as alprazolam and other medications.
“This is very concerning. In addition to carrying out anarchic actions, the suspects were under the influence of prohibited drugs during the act,” he said.
According to him, the drug abuse case will also be followed up by the West Java Police Narcotics Directorate.
The West Java Regional Police are currently developing the case to uncover possible involvement of other parties in the action, including suspicions of certain groups exploiting the students.
“The team is still developing through CCTV analysis and data extraction from the perpetrators’ mobile phones,” said Hendra.
Previously reported, the West Java Police Chief, Inspector General of Police Rudi Setiawan, confirmed that the crowd involved in the clashes that triggered the anarchic action during the International Labour Day (May Day) commemoration in Bandung on Friday, 1 May 2026 evening, were not from the labour or student groups holding peaceful demonstrations.