Hasyim Widhiarto, Jakarta – There are strong indications that the police committed "serious violations of human rights" when people rioted after a man died in police custody in Buol, Central Sulawesi, said a rights activist on Tuesday.
National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) chief Ifdhal Kasim said Tuesday that its investigators had found evidence that the clash, which killed seven and injured dozens, was triggered by the police's refusal to accede to public demands for an investigation of a man's death while in police custody.
He said the commission had found "serious violations" in the police's handling of the riot and the death.
"Instead of calming the crowd or offering to talk with them, Buol Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Amin Litarso chose to deploy two truckloads of fully-armed police officers to the area where the standoff took place," Ifdhal told reporters.
Komnas HAM also found that one officer had made racial comments and verbally attacked residents who had come to the Buol Police precinct.
Ifdhal said that both the Central Sulawesi Police chief and the officer in charge of the Biau Police precinct where the incident took place should also be held responsible.
Police opened fire on hundreds of rioters who were attacking a Biau Police precinct last Tuesday, fatally shooting six people at the scene while a seventh died in hospital on Saturday. Some of the dead had been shot in the head and one person was shot in the heart, the report said.
The riot started after motorcycle taxi driver Kasmir Timumun, 19, died while in police custody last Monday after his arrest for hitting an officer with his motorcycle while trying to avoid a police inspection.
Some residents said that Kasmir's bruised corpse was evidence of death due to torture by the police. A post-mortem report from a local hospital said Kasmir had committed suicide.
Antara news agency reported Tuesday that family members disagreed and had agreed to exhume Kasmir's body for an autopsy. Ifdhal said his team also believed Kasmir had no strong reason to commit suicide.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his concern on the riot and ordered a thorough investigation on Thursday.
National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said on Friday that police negligence might have contributed to Kasmir's death.
He asked the public to treat Kasmir's death and the resulting riot as two different matters, adding that deputy chief Comr. Gen. Jusuf Manggabarani would lead a team to investigate Kasmir's death.
The National Police has sent 170 Mobile Brigade officers to restore order in Buol, which is 19 hours from the provincial capital, Palu.
The National Police have named three Biau Police officers suspects in Kasmir's death: Second Brig. MB, First Brig. S and Second Brig. AR.
The three were on duty at the Biau Police's detention center when Kasmir died and have been accused of negligence for not checking Kasmir's cell.
"We strongly urge the police to conduct their investigation transparently so the public can judge the case fairly," Ifdhal said.