Suspected Police Intel Detained by UMY Students After Yogyakarta Protest

A viral video on social media shows a number of students from Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) detaining an unknown man suspected of being a police intelligence officer who had entered the campus grounds. The incident took place shortly after UMY students concluded a peaceful protest at the Zero Kilometre Point area of Yogyakarta on Wednesday (17/6/2026).

Prior to the protest, the university had asked students to register all participants to anticipate any infiltrators. After the action ended around 5 p.m. local time, all participants returned to the campus in an orderly manner on motorcycles. However, upon arriving on campus grounds, the students encountered an unfamiliar man they deemed suspicious.

UMY Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Al Islam Kemuhammadiyahan, Zuly Qodir, stated that the man was suspected of taking photographs of the student protesters. His presence in the campus area aroused suspicion because he was not part of the protest group that had been previously registered.

"The students saw someone photographing and watching them. Because he was not recognised, suspicion arose. When approached, he ran, which made the students even more suspicious," Zuly said on Thursday (18/6/2026).

As a result, a number of students immediately surrounded the plainclothes man before he was taken to the UMY Rectorate Building. The situation drew a large crowd, with around 300 students gathering around the Rectorate Building to demand clarification of the man’s identity.

Upon learning of the incident, campus officials promptly carried out mediation to prevent the situation from escalating into conflict.

"He was chased and ran; the fact that he ran made them even more suspicious of who this person was," he remarked.