USU Speaks Out on Alleged Forced Evacuation of Campus Church

Dozens of congregants of the POUK Chapel at the University of North Sumatra (USU) were left distraught after the university allegedly forcibly removed all items from the church. USU has since issued a statement regarding the incident.

Deddy Mauritz Simanjuntak, Chairman of the Legal Aid Institute of the Indonesian Christian People’s Assembly (MUKI), stated that the forced clearance occurred while he was accompanying Pastor Gloria Bale, who leads services at the USU POUK Chapel, during a police examination at the North Sumatra Regional Police. The pastor was being questioned for the second time over an alleged defamation case, the nature of which she found confusing.

“At around half past ten, while we were accompanying Pastor Gloria Bale and the investigator was still opening his laptop, we suddenly received information from a friend here that 10 trucks from the University of North Sumatra were clearing out the church,” Deddy said during an interview at the church on Monday.

Upon receiving the news, Deddy said they halted the examination and returned to the church. “We managed to meet [those doing the clearing], but we saw that the church was in a state of disarray. All the items, including personal belongings, were taken forcibly, which should not have happened as there are laws protecting against such actions. This was done by those acting on behalf of the University of North Sumatra,” he stated.

USU has since responded to the allegations, describing the temporary relocation of the Chapel as part of a facility arrangement and renovation project. The university stated the move is intended to improve the capacity and quality of spiritual development facilities for the academic community and Christians within the USU environment.

Robert Sibarani, Chairman of the USU Christian Faith Community (PIWK), explained that the Chapel has long served as an important facility for the spiritual development of students, lecturers, staff, and the Christian community at USU. He noted that the growing number of Christian students, currently estimated at over 9,000 across 16 faculties, necessitates a more adequate facility.

“With the increasing number of Christian students, the current capacity of the Chapel certainly needs to be enhanced. Therefore, the renovation is part of an effort to provide a more representative facility that can meet the spiritual development needs within the USU environment,” he said in a written statement.