UGM Student Union President Also Victim of Pepper Spray During Protest at Jendral Sudirman Intersection

The General Chairperson of the UGM Student Union (SEMA), Mesa Syafitra, has admitted to being a victim of pepper spray during a protest at the Jendral Sudirman intersection, Gondokusuman, which turned chaotic on Tuesday (1/9) night. A video showing the incident has gone viral on social media.

In the video, uploaded by the Instagram account @mantapfunny, a protester dressed in white can be seen in the middle of a crowd. Suddenly, a man wearing a ‘Jaga Warga’ vest approaches and immediately sprays a liquid onto the protester’s face. After spraying, the man quickly retreats, while the individual in white is seen clutching their face in pain.

Mesa claimed that the person in white hit by the spray was himself, and he believes the liquid used was pepper spray. “I was wearing that white shirt, walking backwards while ensuring no comrades were left behind or held hostage. However, someone wearing a Jaga Warga vest sprayed pepper spray into my face,” Mesa said when contacted on Thursday (3/9/2026).

“Medical comrades were quick to assist me. Unfortunately, those rescuers are instead being framed as rioters by the DIY Regional Police,” he added.

For context, Jagawarga is a community-based institution rooted in local wisdom in the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY), formed to maintain security, peace, order, and social welfare at the hamlet, neighbourhood (RW), or village level. Operationally, the institution and its development are officially facilitated by the DIY Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP).

When asked for confirmation regarding the spraying video, the Head of DIY Satpol PP, Bagas Senoadji, admitted he could not yet confirm whether the man spraying the liquid is an actual member of Jaga Warga. “Yes, that is the case, but I cannot confirm yet whether that is a genuine Jaga Warga member or someone merely wearing the vest. There are many members of the public who impersonate police officers, so it is possible someone else was wearing the vest,” he said when contacted today.

Nevertheless, Bagas emphasised that his office will investigate the man in the Jaga Warga vest seen in the video. “We will conduct an investigation. We will check their identity. If it turns out to be a genuine Jaga Warga member, we will provide disciplinary guidance,” Bagas explained.

“We must ensure such an incident does not happen again. The duty of Jaga Warga is to maintain a conducive situation, not to create disorder,” he concluded.