Jakarta – A human rights activist says that the water throwing incident that recently took place during a TV discussion was a blatant display of both personal and organizational arrogance.

"The water throwing incident has justified public assessment that both the person and the organization have presented thug-like attributes camouflaged by religion," Setara Institute chief Hendardi said in written statement on Friday.

Hendardi further suggested that the incident should be reported to the police for further investigation. He also warned the private TV station that aired the discussion to be more cautious when selecting guests to avoid similar incidents in the future.

The water throwing incident occurred when Islam Defenders Front spokesman Munarman and University of Indonesia sociologist Tamrin Amal Tomagola got into a heated debate on forcible night club closures during Ramadhan in a discussion hosted by TV One on Friday morning.

The heated debate ended in Munarman throwing a glass of water at Tamrin's face. Tamrin has stated that he would not file a report with the police. Munarman, meanwhile, has refused to apologize for the incident, insisting he committed no wrong doing.(hrl/dic)