Student Dies in Maluku; Crowd Says Police Reform Has Yielded No Results

A CROWD gathered at the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters (Polda DIY) on the evening of Tuesday, 24 February 2026. This was in protest against the death of a student in Tual, Maluku, at the hands of a member of the Mobile Brigade (Brimob). One of the protesters, Ude, stated that this movement was a culmination of public anger over the incident in which Bripda Mesias Siahaya, a Brimob officer from the Maluku Police, assaulted a junior high school student, identified only as AT (14), resulting in his death. Scroll down to continue reading “There was a 14-year-old boy who did nothing wrong, he was just riding his motorbike when he was suddenly hit on the head with a helmet and died. People in Yogyakarta today understand that the problem is not just a few bad apples, but the entire institution, so this action is an attempt to express that anger,” Ude said during the protest on Tuesday evening, 24 February 2026. According to him, this action was spontaneous and fluid, without a stage for speeches or a formal list of demands. “This is a sign of the collapse of trust in the Polri’s reform efforts, which have not yielded results,” he said. He mentioned that a similar action had been carried out on 29 August 2025 in front of Polda DIY. However, that action did not bring about any significant changes to the institution. Furthermore, Ude explained that the vandalism, such as graffiti on the fence and the demolition of the gate, was a pure expression of the crowd’s feelings that their aspirations were being stifled. He also confirmed that the crowd consisted of people from various campuses, all of whom gathered at UPN before occupying the space at Polda DIY. As of 19:50 WIB, the crowd continued to arrive without a definite time limit for the event. The crowd, consisting of students and members of the public, surrounded the police station, blocked access roads, and even demolished the fence as a form of expression of their deep disappointment with the Polri institution. Based on Tempo’s observations at the scene, the crowd began to arrive at Polda DIY on foot from the east at 18:00 WIB. They had previously gathered at the central parking area of the Universitas Pembangunan Nasional (UPN) Veteran Yogyakarta. Upon arriving in front of Polda DIY, the crowd pushed the water barriers on the west side of the entrance to block traffic, which forced the Pakuwon Mall and the shops in the surrounding area to suspend their operations. The situation escalated at the eastern fence when the crowd hit the fence until it collapsed, which was met with shouts of “Murderer, murderer, murderer” and the throwing of objects into the courtyard, which had been fitted with barbed wire since the afternoon. Editor’s Choice: Student Dies in Maluku, Crowd Surrounds Polda DIY in Yogyakarta