Student stabbed to death in brawl on way to school

JAKARTA (JP): A senior high school student was killed in a street fight Wednesday, taking the death toll in inter-school brawls since the start of the school year to four.

Police arrested 32 students from two senior high schools who were brawling at Plumpang bus terminal yesterday.

Officers believe the fight was triggered by revenge over Wednesday's death of 17-year-old Mujiono, a student at the privately run Bahariwan technical school.

Seven of the students were found carrying weapons, such as sickles, swords and knives, in their bags.

The City Police have deployed officers in areas most prone to school brawls.

Some of them were equipped with video cameras, Jakarta Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said.

"This will be used as evidence to be shown to their parents," he said, recalling that many protective parents would deny that their children were involved in brawling.

"It's high time that parents stopped covering up the misdeeds of their children," Aritonang said.

He said that students arrested for brawling were mostly returned to their schools, which summoned parents to collect their children.

Police only press charges in cases where there are fatalities.

Mujiono, a resident of West Kelapa Gading, was buried yesterday.

He was killed while riding an IPJ 95 Bus on Jl. Yos Sudarso on his way to school, according to his father, Kardiono.

The bus was stopped by a group of students, and Mujiono, who was standing in the doorway, was stabbed in both thighs and severely beaten in the stomach, said the father.

Mujiono died at midnight at the Islamic Hospital in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta. Doctors pronounced internal bleeding as the cause of his death.

The hospital then transferred his body to the morgue at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital.

"He was a good kid, very quiet," said the grieving father who spoke to reporters at the morgue. "He even liked cooking."

"I don't believe my kid was involved in the brawl. He was just an innocent target," said the red-eyed Kardiono, who spent the entire morning obtaining hospital clearance to collect his son's remains.

Second Lt. A.M. Sitinjak of Kelapa Gading police subprecinct said the suspects had already been identified.

"We drew information from two friends of Mujiono who were with him at the time. They saw the faces and recognized what school they were from.

"We will go after them," Sitinjak said.

He declined to reveal the names of the high school.

Inter-school brawls started almost as soon as the new school year began in July. (04)