UI Lecturer Ade Armando Viciously Beaten amid Mass Protest

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - University of Indonesia lecturer Ade Armando on Monday became a victim of a violent beating as he was in the area where a mass protest was taking place in front of the House of Representatives (DPR). The Police have yet to reveal the motive behind the brutal beating.

The protest today mainly rejected the discourse of extending the current Presidential term among other national issues. 

According to Tempo journalists at the scene, the chaos happened as the university student protesters under BEM SI disbanded from the DPR headquarter’s main gate. A group of people then viciously attacked Armando who eventually fell to the ground, which at this stage was being rescued by a number of people. 

Roughly 20 minutes after, police personnel came to the scene and evacuated Ade Armando into the DPR building and shot tear gas at the masses.

Ade Armando, who is also a vocal social media figure, was interviewed by journalists regarding the university student mass protest just hours before the incident. In his interview, the lecturer lamented the friction within the National Association of University Student Executive Bodies (BEM SI).

“I am not participating in the rally but I am just observing it while also showing support. But what I heard is that BEM SI is split,” said Armando in front of the DPR building before demonstrators gathered there. 

The political sciences lecturer argued that the friction in university student movements into five alliances will not be good for Indonesia’s democracy and will no longer unite student movements. “It’s as if they have their own patrons, each of them continuing with their own agendas.”

Armando said that students must be aware of the facts that their movement can be infiltrated by anyone, especially after the student movements had split into five alliances.

“I'm worried that the student movement is too childish just because of these differences and then it splits. It's just a shame," he said while suggesting that Student Executive Bodies (BEM) throughout Indonesia should have a seat to discuss issues of this magnitude and come out with a statement of the same attitude.

Read: Police Put Forth Humanistic Approach in Securing Student Protest

EKA YUDHA SAPUTRA