Talk about conduct unbecoming of an officer.
A video showing an Indonesian military (TNI) officer kicking a motorcycle carrying a woman and her child, almost knocking them over, went viral yesterday as angry netizens blasted him for his violent behavior. The outcry led to the Indonesian military quickly identifying the officer and saying that he would be disciplined.
The video was initially uploaded by Instagram user @iknanthe yesterday before being shared by others, such as @agoez_bandz4.
In the video, the woman and child on the motorbike are approached by a man wearing a camouflaged uniform. The man kicks their motorbike, causing it to nearly fall over, before speeding away.
The video’s description says the incident took place in Jatiwarna, Bekasi, West Java, although it doesn’t say exactly when it happened.
The video’s narration explains that another motorist in front of the woman’s motorcycle had unexpectedly hit its brakes, causing the woman to also brake suddenly, resulting in the officer crashing into the back of her bike.
“Look at his behavior; he’s the one who hit [her],” the person recording the video can be heard saying.
The description also mentions that the officer had already kicked the woman’s motorcycle once before the video started, which is why the person shooting it started recording.
The TNI officer in question, Praka ANG, was identified by the Air Force as being a member of the Air Defense Detachment (Denhanud) of the Indonesian Air Force’s Kopasgat unit.
“The individual in question has already received disciplinary sanctions from his superiors,” said Air Force spokesperson Marsma Indan Gilang Buldansyah today as quoted by Detik.
The outcry over the incident was big enough that the country’s top military commander, Admiral Yudo Margono, apologized for his officer’s behavior.
“The TNI Commander on behalf of all TNI soldiers apologizes for the arrogant behavior displayed by this TNI officer,” said Rear Admiral Julius Widjojono, the head of the TNI Information Center, today.
Julius also conveyed Admiral Yuno’s instructions to all TNI soldiers to not act arrogantly or offensively toward civilians.
