Pontianak, West Kalimantan – Officials in Pontianak have vowed to thoroughly investigate the alleged assault of a gasoline vendor by two soldiers on Saturday.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Mukson Munandar, the West Kalimantan Police spokesman, said on Sunday that his office was probing the case with the military police, and urged residents to stay calm. The assault on Saturday afternoon occurred when two soldiers on motorbikes stopped at the stall of Miftah Farid, 24, who sold gasoline in bottles.

They asked him to fill up their bikes but then refused to pay. When Miftah objected, the two assaulted him severely, leaving him with injuries that included a gash to the back of his head. Agustina, the victim's sister, said they hit Miftah with his own tools and kicked him repeatedly.

"They should be fired," a visibly emotional Agustina said. "They don't deserve to serve in the armed forces," she added. "They should be prosecuted. If they can do this in broad daylight, then clearly this is no big deal for them."

Dozens of residents who witnessed the assault immediately restrained the soldiers, identified only as Pfc. Nik and Pfc. Dik, and marched them to a nearby traffic police post. They also took Miftah to a hospital.

After questioning by police, the two soldiers were taken into custody by military police from the Tanjungpura Military Command, which is responsible for overseeing military operations in West Kalimantan.

Agustina said the incident could have been avoided. She said her brother often served motorists who could not afford to pay, in which case he asked them to leave behind some form of ID that he held until they could come back with the money.

The soldiers' superiors have responded by promising to pay for Miftah's hospital treatment.