UIN Denies Thuggery at Pamulang Islamic Primary School, Explains Night-time Visit

UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta has denied accusations of thuggery in the dispute with SD/TK Islam Pembangunan (TKIP) in Pamulang, South Tangerang.

UIN said the people present during the incident were part of its internal security team. Their arrival was claimed to be aimed at keeping the situation conducive and not disrupting teaching and learning activities.

Vice Rector II of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Imam Subchi, said the university deliberately visited the location at night so as not to disturb school activities.

“That is completely wrong, not true. We came at night because we wanted to avoid and not disrupt teaching and learning activities,” Imam said at a press conference on Wednesday (26/8/2026).

According to Imam, some of the personnel also wore plain clothes. This, he said, was done so that their presence would not create an impression of intimidation towards the school environment.

Imam assured that teaching and learning activities at TKIP and SDIP continue to run normally.

“From today, teaching and learning activities are normal. Today there are no problems,” he said.

Previously, parents and guardians of students at Sekolah Dasar Islam Plus (SDIP) and Taman Kanak-Kanak Islam Plus (TKIP) in Pamulang, South Tangerang, Banten, asked the parties disputing the land to exercise restraint while awaiting a legally binding court ruling.

They stressed that this was to ensure the teaching and learning activities of their children there were not disrupted.

The request was made following the conflict between the foundation and UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, or UIN Jakarta, over land ownership in recent times. The course of the land dispute, which has led to actions on the ground, was considered by parents to be affecting the school environment.

Parents then encouraged both parties to agree on a number of points to ensure the teaching and learning process remains conducive.

One SDIP parent, Dedi Setiawan, said on Monday (24/08) that parents did not question who would eventually be legally entitled to manage the school. According to him, parents would accept a court decision that has permanent legal force.

“From the parents’ perspective, we ask both parties in the dispute, in this case the foundation, to exercise restraint until a valid legal decision is obtained,” Dedi said.

“We parents will accept whichever party the foundation is,” he added.

Meanwhile, alumni urged the State Islamic University (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah, or UIN Jakarta, not to use intimidation or alleged thuggery in dealing with the land dispute case involving the TK Islam Pembangunan (TKIP) and SD Islam Pembangunan (SDIP) education complex in Pamulang, South Tangerang, Banten.

Through a statement of position they issued, the alumni group of the campus under the auspices of the Ministry of Religious Affairs asked UIN Jakarta to stop the alleged thuggish methods in the case.

This is because alleged thuggery and intimidation are considered to disrupt the teaching and learning process, especially the safety of children.

“We reject all forms of violence, intimidation, and thuggery from any party, under any pretext,” the official statement said, as quoted on Monday (24/8).