Viral Bullying Among Students in Kebumen, Perpetrator Detained
Police have detained a perpetrator who bullied a fellow vocational school student in Kutowinangun, Kebumen, Central Java, in an incident that went viral on social media. Investigations revealed that the bullying was triggered by the perpetrator’s jealousy towards the victim over Instagram chats.
“The Kebumen Police have carried out investigative steps and examined parties related to the incident,” said Kebumen Police Chief AKBP I Putu Bagus Krisna Purnama, as reported by detikJateng on Monday (17/8/2026).
The bullying incident occurred on Friday (7/8) at around 10.00 WIB. The location was behind a private vocational school in Kutowinangun District, Kebumen Regency.
Police subsequently took the suspected perpetrator to the Kebumen Police headquarters on Saturday (15/8) afternoon for questioning. The suspect, who is still a student and a minor, is still being questioned by officers.
Chairman of the Kebumen Branch Executive Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PCNU), Imam Satibi, spoke about the bullying incident. The private vocational school is under the auspices of PCNU Kebumen.
Imam said that, based on initial information received by the school, the incident stemmed from a dispute between the perpetrator and the victim triggered by jealousy. The assault or bullying occurred during the school lunch break.
“The information I received from the school is that initially the Year 11 student (the perpetrator) had a girlfriend, and then she broke up with him. Because the perpetrator could access his girlfriend’s Instagram account, he saw a chat from his junior, who became the victim. In fact, it was just ordinary communication, just ‘hello-hello’, and then he became jealous,” said Imam.
“It was during lunchtime, the break. It turned out that such an incident occurred and was not monitored. This is part of our negligence, so we will improve our SOP and our services,” he continued.
The victim has not yet returned to school activities. PCNU, together with the Education Institution and the Kebumen Regency Government, has visited the victim’s family to provide assistance and psychological support.