Komnas Perempuan Condemns Sukoharjo School Search, Citing Violence Against Witnesses
Indonesia's National Commission on Violence Against Women, Komnas Perempuan, condemned an armed police search of the Hamalatul Quran Islamic boarding school on November 2, saying female students and teachers were subjected to violence despite being witnesses, not suspects.
Commission challenges treatment of students and teachers
The October 27 operation in Sukoharjo, Central Java, involved Brimob officers carrying rifles who forced open dormitory doors at 3:20 a.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB). Female students were made to come out without their hijabs. Twelve female students and four teachers faced intimidation during the search.
Komnas Perempuan Chairperson Maria Ulfah Anshor said in her November 2 statement that the commission "regrets and condemns the alleged violence and disregard for legal procedures" toward the students and teachers. Suspicions that people sought by police were hiding at the school, or concerns that officers might encounter resistance, did not justify violence or violations of rights during searches, seizures or questioning, she said.
"Witnesses should be summoned appropriately, not taken away in the early hours by armed officers," Maria said, stressing that the female students and teachers were witnesses rather than suspects.
Police explain the search and detentions
Police searched the school while investigating the September 2026 arson and vandalism of the Mi and Babi Tepi Sawah eatery in Parangjoro Village, Grogol District, Sukoharjo. After arresting a suspect identified as S, investigators sought another person believed to be connected to the case.
Central Java Police Public Relations Head Sr. Comr. Yuliyanto told Tempo that the search targeted a fugitive identified as I, whom police suspected was hiding at the school. According to Yuliyanto, recorded information indicated that I posed a significant danger and potentially could manufacture explosives. The fugitive was no longer at the school when officers arrived, he said.
Yuliyanto said suspicion concerning I arose after another suspect's arrest in Karanganyar. He said officers encountered resistance in that operation and two Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel were injured.
Police detained 19 people at the school and took them to a police station for questioning about I, according to Yuliyanto. He said several female officers participated in the detentions and that those held were subsequently released through the Sukoharjo Integrated Services Unit for the Protection of Women and Children (UPTD PPA).
Confiscated belongings and police response
School secretary Diyana Indah Sari said officers took school inventory and residents' belongings, including cash, vehicles, gold, savings books and computers. She put their combined estimated value at around Rp50 million. Yuliyanto said police would return the property on October 31, 2026.
In a separate account, the Indonesian National Police said items not held as evidence had been returned to legal counsel. It also said Central Java Police deployed female officers, known as Polwan, alongside the Sukoharjo UPTD PPA to protect the female students at the school, and opened dialogue with religious leaders at Pondok Pesantren Al-Mukmin Ngruki.
Ethics investigation and calls for recovery
National Police Chief General Suyudi Ario Seto removed Sukoharjo Police Chief AKBP Andika Dharma Sena from his post following the search. Three other Sukoharjo officers were also dismissed: criminal investigation head Iptu AS, general crimes head Ipda FA, and women and children protection head Ipda RAP. All four are under investigation by the police Professional and Security Division, known as Propam, over alleged ethical violations during the operation.
Imparsial Director Ardi Manto Adiputra said field operations must respect human rights and fully comply with Indonesia's Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP). Procedures for examining women and children must take their particular vulnerabilities into account and ensure they face no violence, intimidation or traumatizing treatment, he said.
Maria also reminded law enforcement of Indonesia's obligations under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT). She described it as a framework for preventing and addressing allegations of conduct that could constitute torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Citing concern about lasting trauma among the students and teachers, Maria urged the local government to prioritize comprehensive, sustained recovery, including psychosocial support and services that address children's specific needs.