Self-righteous mobs ganging up on drivers responsible for traffic accidents is nothing new in Indonesia (especially if the victim is a motorcyclist), but this is the first time we’ve ever seen video proof of a policeman joining in on the act.
We must warn you, the video below is highly disturbing and can easily trigger outrage.
According to reports, the video was taken from an incident that occurred in Purbalingga, Central Java last Thursday, and has come to the attention of the National Police.
National Police Spokesman Rikwanto said the beating victim, identified as 22-year-old WBU, was driving his car recklessly. The policeman in the video, identified as Bripda Afifat Agung Dwi Cahyo, who was nearby at the time, tried to stop WBU’s car, but WBU instead slurred an insult towards Afifat before speeding away and crashing his white car into a motorcycle and a truck.
“The mob forced [WBU] out of the car and he was beaten until his head began to bleed. The mob was kicking his head while saying, ‘you’re endangering others, do you want to get people killed?’” said Rikwanto, as quoted by Detik today.
Rikwanto added that Afifat, who was at first trying (not hard enough in our opinion) to protect WBU from the mob’s fury, eventually started beating him too because he apparently tried to grab the officer’s leg (which, to us, looked like a desperate plea for protection).
“[After WBU ran into his car] someone shouted ‘watch out, he’s holding an iron rod!’ So, spontaneously, Bripda Afifat grabbed the driver by the hair and pulled him out of the car and dragged him into a café. When he was interrogated there, the culprit responded in a raised voice, which riled up Bripda Afifat and led to him hitting [WBU] again,” Rikwanto said.
WBU was eventually taken to a police precinct for questioning, and there are no reports as to his current condition and whether or not he will be charged with reckless driving. Meanwhile, Rikwanto confirmed that Bripda Afifat is being investigated by Purbolinggo Police’s Internal Affairs division.
What Rikwanto did not mention was the possibility that there were elements of racial hatred behind the mob beating. The Facebook post above describes WBU as a Chinese Indonesian, and at a certain point in the video someone in the mob can be heard asking “Kristen, yo?” (“Is he a Christian?”).
In addition, there are also reports that WBU is mentally unstable.
Where should the line be drawn regarding police officers using violence to prevent criminal action? Did Bripda Afifat cross that line? Let us know your thoughts on our Facebook page.
Reader Interactions