Thuggery Claims Lives, a Stark Warning for the Nation

This is an opinion column; the entire content and views represent the personal opinions of the author and do not reflect the editorial stance.

The Kompas editorial titled “Thuggery Claims Lives” reports on a heartbreaking tragedy that claimed victims (Kompas, 8 April 2026). This distressing tragedy serves as a stark warning about the fragility of public safety amid society.

The death of Dadang, a resident of Kertamukti Village, Purwakarta Regency, due to a beating by a group of thugs, underscores that street violence still finds fertile ground. More than that, it signals serious gaps in the state’s presence.

Thuggery is not a new phenomenon. But when it claims lives again, the issue can no longer be viewed merely as ordinary criminality.

From a sociological perspective, thuggery is a symptom of social dysfunction—when legal norms weaken, social control loosens, and economic inequalities are left unaddressed.

One key analytical tool can be found in Émile Durkheim’s theory of anomie, as presented in his work The Division of Labor in Society. Durkheim explains that when social norms weaken or fail to regulate individual behaviour, a state of normlessness emerges.

In such situations, individuals tend to act beyond agreed moral boundaries, including through violence. Thuggery, in this context, is a manifestation of the collapse of normative order at the local level.

This analysis is reinforced by Robert K. Merton’s strain theory in his book Social Theory and Social Structure. Merton highlights the tension between cultural goals (such as prosperity) and the available means to achieve them.

When access to legitimate means is limited, some individuals opt for deviant paths (innovation), including criminal practices. Thuggery can be understood as a form of deviant adaptation due to these structural pressures.