VIVAnews - The Indonesian Police HQs admitted that there was neglect in handling the demonstration at the North Sumatra Regional House Representatives' office which ended up in the death of the Regional House's chairperson, Abdul Aziz Angkat.
The mass control guidelines were not fully or properly implemented during the demonstration. "In handling demonstration, the Indonesian Police has issued Chief of Indonesian Police Decree No.16/2006 on Mass Control Guidelines. We should have used water cannon and deployed Anti-Riot Unit," said Chief of Indonesian Police, General Bambang Hendarso Danuri, during a working meeting with Legal Commission at the House of Representatives on Monday, Feb. 9.
The demonstration was held on Tuesday, 3 January, to demand the government to establish a new province of Tapanuli. It soon turned ugly and violent. As Angkat was evacuated from the building more protestors crowded him, throwing insults, plastic bottles, and hits and punches at him. Angkat lost consciousness and later passed away at the hospital.
The Medan Police department had to deploy reinforcement from Anti-Riot Unit of Police Mobile Brigade. There were only 250 police officers facing 2,000 rioters.
A water cannon vehicle, which is to be utilized by police to disband riot, was not used during the mass action in front of the North Sumatra parliamentary complex. "The investigation shows that Medan Police Department did not fully abide by the standards and procedures," said Danuri.
Earlier, spokesperson of North Sumatra Police Department Chief Commissioner Baharuddin Djafar had admitted that no water cannon was made use of. Local police department did not install barbed wires to block riot either.
Danuri admitted that the demonstration resulted in Angkat's death, even though autopsy showed that Angkat died of a heart attack. As of now the police has named a total of 36 suspects in the case.
VIVAnews journalists Ismoko Widjaya, Desy Afrianti, Elin Yunita Kristanti and Anggi Kusumadewi contributed to this article.
