Indonesian Police Pledge Internal Review of Sukoharjo Boarding School Search

Police acknowledge fear and promise scrutiny

Police Public Relations Division head Insp. Gen. Johnny Eddizon Isir said internal oversight bodies, including the Professional and Security Division (Propam), would objectively and professionally investigate complaints about the October 27, 2026, search.

In a statement released on the evening of November 1, Isir said: "We hear the criticisms and complaints expressed by the public, and we view them as material for improvement and evaluation." He said the review was needed to ensure accountability at every stage of the police operation.

Isir acknowledged the fear experienced by women and children that morning and expressed sympathy for affected students and their families. He also said police enforcement was not intended to stigmatize religious schools.

Rights commission details allegations

National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) chair Anis Hidayah criticized the search on November 1, saying it allegedly disregarded human-rights, child-protection and gender-sensitivity principles. The commission asked Propam and the chair of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) to independently examine the search, seizures and alleged excessive force, including the validity of the search warrant issued by the Sukoharjo District Court.

Komnas HAM said information it had received alleged that dozens of officers carrying long-barreled weapons broke down the door while 12 female students, ages 10 to 16, and four female teachers were asleep. It also cited allegations that officers pointed weapons and forcibly pulled students who had not yet put on their hijabs.

According to the commission's account, 15 occupants, including two young children ages 3 and 5, were taken to Mojolaban Police Sector at 3:51 a.m. Western Indonesia Time and then to Sukoharjo Police Resort at 10 a.m., without a guardian or lawyer accompanying them. The commission also alleged that police took personal belongings without an official seizure letter, including mobile phones, Rp16 million in students' savings, gold, a drone and a bow.

The central board of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) had issued five demands in an October 30 statement. It called for an objective Propam investigation into alleged procedural breaches and disproportionate conduct; public clarification of the operation's chronology, legal basis and procedures; special protection for female students and minors; a transparent, evidence-based legal process; and involvement of the Religious Affairs Ministry.

Isir said police were addressing complaints about property taken during the search. Some items were returned to the school's legal counsel on October 31, he said, while items unrelated to the case would be handled under applicable regulations following an examination of the inventory.

Police explain the investigation and use of armed units

Isir linked the search to an investigation into arson, threats and vandalism in Parangjoro Village, Sukoharjo, on September 12, 2026. In his account, investigators had detained a suspect identified as S and were seeking another person, identified as I, believed to be connected to the case.

Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Roy Hardi Siahaan said the investigation began with the October 19 arrest of a suspect he identified as ST. Siahaan said ST and I were former terrorism convicts involved in the 2015 attack on Kliwon Police Sector.

Siahaan said fully armed Brimob units took part in the search because of the assessed threat and the suspects' records. During the earlier arrest of ST, he said, resistance involving a samurai sword left two Brimob members injured.

The October 27 operation covered two locations: one in Laban village, Mojolaban, Sukoharjo, and another in Trengguli village, Jenawi, Karanganyar. Siahaan said both presented themselves as Islamic boarding schools but neither was registered with the Religious Affairs Ministry. Police did not find I.

According to Siahaan, police questioned 19 minors across the two sites with accompaniment from the regional Women and Children's Protection Unit (UPTD PPA). They were subsequently handed over to parents or guardians rather than returned to the buildings.

Isir, citing information from Central Java Police, said female officers participated in activities at the Sukoharjo site with support from the local women and children's protection unit. He said students were reunited with parents or guardians that same day, and police arranged psychological counseling through a psychology association for those affected.

Officials distinguish the sites from the Jombang institution

Central Java Deputy Governor Taj Yasin Maimoen said the searched locations had no connection to the Hamalatul Qur'an organization based in Jombang and used a different logo. He described the sites as independent Quran memorization houses, known as RTQ, that were not registered with the Religious Affairs Ministry.

The provincial government would coordinate with the ministry on licensing, he said.