TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Chief of Police Gen. Tito Karnavian said one person died during the student protests at DPR building that lead to riots on Wednesday. The general said that the deceased was a rioter.

"Not a student, but one of the rioters," Tito said during a press conference at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Office, today, September 26.

Tito said clashes occurred between the TNI-Polri and rioters in Slipi. At that time, rioters set fire to a police post and vehicles, and pelted officers with rocks.

That's when one person passed out at the scene. He was taken to the Kramat Jati Police Hospital but did not survive.

Tito denied that the casualty was a result of repressive actions by police officers.

"There was not a single gunshot fired nor did we mistreat the rioters, because I instructed the men not to use sharp weapons. We believe the victim died from lack of oxygen or physical disturbances."

Tito asserted that during the demonstrations on September 23-25 no students died. Most of the students who were arrested by the Jakarta Police had been sent home after being questioned.

The school student protest happened a day after the university student demonstration in front of the Parliament Building, which ended in a riot. The riot began from midday until early this morning.

Tito Karnavian suspected that in both demonstrations there were provocateurs who deliberately incite protesters' anger to trigger riots.

Egi Adyatama