Jokowi Orders Police Chief to Investigate 2 Students' Deaths

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has instructed National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian to investigate the cause of the deaths of two students of Halu Oleo University: Randi and Yusuf Kardawi. The two were killed after staging a protest against controversial draft bills at the Kendari Legislative Council (DPRD) building, Southeast Sulawesi, Thursday, September 26.

According to Jokowi, the police chief had reported to and informed him that the officers deployed to secure the demonstration were unarmed. Therefore, he demanded an investigation.

“I order [him] to investigate all of his staffers, too,” said Jokowi at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Friday, September 27.

The President also claimed to have reminded the police chief to instruct security personnel to refrain from practicing repressive acts in handling protesters.

On the other side, Jokowi added, that was not an easy task for the police chief to organize thousands of personnel across the country. He appealed to the public not to speculate about the real culprit who killed the two students.

“This involves thousands of personnel throughout the country, and until now, the shooter is not exposed yet, so don’t take any guess before the investigation completes,” Jokowi underlined.

The students’ demonstration against the revisions of the Criminal Code Law or RKUHP and the amended KPK Law at the Kendari DPRD building ended in chaos. Randi was killed after allegedly being shot with a rubber bullet in his right upper chest, while Yusuf Kardawi sustained severe injuries in the head.

AHMAD FAIZ