Police Urged to Probe Mass Organization’s Role in Jakarta Unrest
Death and Injury in Pejompongan: Rights Body Demands Deeper Police Look into Mass-Organization Links
Kabarsaji.com – The killing of a sixty-year-old shopkeeper and the brutal beating of a teenage student in Central Jakarta's Pejompongan neighborhood have sharpened scrutiny on how quickly post-protest violence can spiral beyond the original demonstrators. Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) formally pressed the Jakarta Metro Police on Monday, August 31, 2026, to widen its inquiry into whether a mass organization played a hand in the attacks that erupted after a demonstration on August 27.
The commission's intervention lands at a moment when residents of the densely populated Pejompongan district are still processing the trauma of a night that turned from civic protest into targeted physical violence. Two local residents were singled out — one fatally, one gravely injured — in what authorities and witnesses describe as coordinated assaults by groups of men moving through the streets after the main protest had dispersed.
Komnas HAM Calls for Accountability
Commissioner Saurlin P. Siagian addressed reporters at the National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta, making clear that the commission's earlier meetings with Jakarta Metro Police commanders had not produced the depth of investigation the victims' families deserve.
"We are asking the Jakarta Metro Police to conduct a deeper investigation," Saurlin told the press corps.
He emphasized that the commission's mandate extends beyond documenting the deaths and injuries; it also encompasses ensuring that every person detained in connection with the unrest is treated according to due process. Those with no genuine link to the violence, in his view, should be freed promptly, while those whose conduct warrants continued scrutiny must face follow-up proceedings.
"Those who were not involved in the unrest should be released. But those who were involved, I think, also need to be followed up," he added.
Komnas HAM, established under Indonesia's 1999 Human Rights Law, routinely monitors state conduct during civil disturbances. Its public calls for expanded investigations have historically prompted additional forensic reviews and witness interviews, though the commission holds no prosecutorial power of its own and must rely on police and prosecutors to act on its findings.
Two Victims, Two Stories of Sudden Violence
Bambang Setiawan, a sixty-year-old resident of Pejompongan who earned a living selling mirrors from a small roadside stall, was struck down while attempting to shutter his shop as the unrest crept through the area late Thursday night. Witnesses described a group of men converging on him; he died from the injuries sustained in that attack.
Not far away, Faturrohman, an eighteen-year-old high school student also residing in Pejompongan, was assaulted by several individuals. He sustained serious injuries and required hospital treatment. Both incidents unfolded in the hours stretching from Thursday evening into the early hours of Friday, August 28, in the wake of the August 27 demonstration.
GRIB Jaya and the Hercules Question
Public attention quickly zeroed in on Gerakan Rakyat Indonesia Bersatu (GRIB) Jaya, a mass organization whose chairman is Rosario de Marshall, widely known by the moniker Hercules. Viral video clips appeared to show Hercules present at the Pejompongan scene alongside identifiable members of his organization, fueling accusations that GRIB Jaya operatives were among those who carried out the attacks.
The organization pushed back swiftly. Wilson Colling, who heads the legal division of GRIB Jaya's central leadership, issued a written statement on Saturday, August 29, explaining that Hercules had been in the area to observe the security environment, not to join the protest or take part in any confrontation.
"His presence was part of a persuasive effort to monitor the situation and maintain calm in the area, not to escalate tensions, provoke anyone or engage in physical clashes," Wilson stated.
GRIB Jaya has categorically denied any role in the fatal beating or the assault on the teenager. The organization's position is that its leadership was conducting a routine oversight visit when the situation deteriorated beyond what anyone present could have controlled.
Police: Verification Still Underway
Commissioner Budi Hermanto, spokesperson for the Jakarta Metro Police, told reporters on August 27 that the force had not yet concluded its examination of whether a mass organization was implicated in the Pejompongan attacks. He stressed that facts must be verified before any public attribution of responsibility.
"As for the mass organization, we are still conducting a deeper investigation because the facts need to be verified. We ask for time," Budi said.
Hermanto also cautioned the public against accepting every claim that circulates on social media. He noted that investigators had already flagged a substantial number of posts containing disinformation, deliberate provocation, and outright hoaxes tied to the unrest. In an era where smartphone footage can travel millions of times faster than a police report, that distinction between verified evidence and viral assertion carries real consequences for both victims' families and those accused.
What Comes Next
The convergence of Komnas HAM's formal request, ongoing police forensics, and the public's demand for answers places the Pejompongan incidents under sustained institutional attention. Whether the investigation ultimately confirms or clears the mass-organization link will shape how Indonesian authorities manage the interface between organized civil-society groups and post-protest order in the months ahead. For the families of Bambang Setiawan and Faturrohman, the question is simpler: who struck them, and will the full weight of the law reach that answer?
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