Viral Video of Students Detaining Intelligence Officer on Campus, UMY Speaks Out
A peaceful demonstration by around a thousand students from Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) at Yogyakarta’s Zero Kilometre Point was followed by an incident on campus. Students detained a man they identified as an intelligence officer from the Yogyakarta Regional Police (Polda DIY) who had allegedly infiltrated the UMY campus grounds.
Nevertheless, the situation was resolved through dialogue involving the students, university leadership, and the police.
UMY Vice Rector for Education and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Zuly Qodir, stated the incident occurred after students from the UMY Bergerak Alliance returned from the peaceful protest at Zero Kilometre Point on Wednesday (17/6/2026). According to Zuly, the protest, which began at 1:30 PM WIB, was orderly and had received campus permission under several conditions, including participant registration to ensure security during the activity.
“Students who departed had to be properly registered, and upon return, their numbers had to match. This is part of our shared responsibility in maintaining security and order during the protest,” Zuly said in a written statement on Thursday (18/6).
The protest ended at 5:30 PM WIB and the student group returned to campus. The situation escalated when students found a man in civilian clothing on campus grounds. Students then questioned the man’s identity and purpose for being there. After verification, the individual was confirmed to be an intelligence officer from Polda DIY.
The man was then taken to the Rectorate Building for clarification. Upon learning of the situation, university leaders immediately mediated to prevent the issue from escalating into a larger conflict.
Zuly said the campus continually reminded students to prioritise dialogue over physical action. “I emphasised to the students that dialogue is far more important than using physical force. Using common sense and clear thinking is the best way to resolve issues,” he said.
He also stressed that the university does not condone any form of violence in resolving problems. “We reminded students that any form of violent action cannot be justified. The campus must be a space that upholds dialogue, ethics, and peaceful problem-solving,” he stated.
Through communication involving students, university leadership, and the police, the intelligence officer eventually explained his identity and the purpose of his presence. Polda DIY also provided clarification and picked up the officer from the campus. “The police have provided an explanation and clarification. Therefore, this matter was resolved amicably through open communication,” Zuly said.
By around 8:00 PM WIB, the situation was declared conducive. All parties agreed to resolve the matter peacefully without any violence.
Zuly added that the incident serves as a reminder of the importance of coordination and communication between all parties, including the campus and law enforcement. “We appreciate the students’ maturity in handling this situation. All parties ultimately chose the path of dialogue, so the issue could be resolved well without causing a larger conflict,” he explained.
News of the intelligence officer’s detention at UMY went viral after being posted by the Instagram account @kabarmahasiswa.id. The post stated the man entered the campus area on Wednesday (17/6) evening.
Regarding the incident, Polda DIY Head of Public Relations Ihsan confirmed the man detained by students was a police officer. Ihsan said the officer was an official personnel assigned with an official warrant to secure the protest. “Regarding the video circulating on social media, we confirm that the man in the video is indeed a member of Polda DIY and is an officer officially involved under a service warrant for the public expression of opinion carried out yesterday at Zero Kilometre Point,” Ihsan said in a statement received by journalists on Thursday (18/6).
He stated the officer’s presence at the location was part of a monitoring assignment to ensure protest participants returned to campus safely. Regarding the misunderstanding that occurred, Polda Jogja said it had been resolved humanely. “The situation is currently conducive. We thank the rectorate and students for the excellent communication and coordination, which allowed this misunderstanding to be resolved amicably, and our officer has returned to Polda,” he concluded.