Kampung Pulo riot on Thursday, August 20, 2015. Photo: Twitter.
There were at least 12 people injured – including both rioters and authorities – during yesterday’s massive riots in Kampung Pulo. But it seems not all of the injured were actually taking part in the riots.
One person grievously injured yesterday was 22-year-old Eko Prasetyo. He was allegedly just passing by Kampung Pulo when he ran afoul of the police during the riots.
“So at 11am [Eko] was going to pick up his little brother at the Balimester Primary School. But then, all of a sudden, Eko was dragged by Satpol PP (Civil Service Police Unit) officers and ganged up on until he received severe injuries,” said Yani, Eko’s cousin, as quoted by Merdeka yesterday.
Yani said that Eko was taken into custody at the East Jakarta Police Precinct in his injured state. It wasn’t until 3:30 pm that he was released and his family was able to take him to St Carolus Hospital in Salemba.
Unfortunately, Eko was already in a coma by the time he arrived at the hospital. He sustained several cranial injuries and bruises all over his body, all suspected of being caused by a brutal beating he received at the hands of the police. Scans also revealed Eko to be suffering from intracranial hemorrhaging.
Eko’s family reported the incident to the East Jakarta city administration. The administration has pledged to cover all of Eko’s medical expenses and will look into the alleged incident of police brutality.
The police have not yet released a statement regarding the allegations.
However chaotic the Kampung Pulo riots were yesterday, the police should never use brutality against anyone, whether they are rioters or innocent bystanders. Now we can only hope for Eko’s speedy recovery.
