Ardilla Syakriah and Dyaning Pangestika, Jakarta – Musician Ananda Badudu, who initiated a crowdfunding campaign to support university students voicing their aspirations, was taken by police to the Jakarta Police headquarters on Friday morning.
Feri Kusuma, the deputy coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), confirmed to The Jakarta Post that Ananda was escorted by the police at 4:28 a.m. in Tebet, South Jakarta.
Ananda also broke the news through his Twitter account @anandabadudu: "The police picked me up because I channeled funds for university students," Ananda wrote in his post.
After about five hours of questioning by the Jakarta Police detectives, Ananda was released without charge or being named a suspect for anything, Feri said.
"The police sought clarification and verification [from Ananda] regarding the crowdfunding activity," he said.
Feri said that the police decided to seek Ananda's statement after they arrested Ahmad Nabil Bintang, a Jakarta Islamic State University (UIN) student, for allegedly stealing a two-way radio belonging to a police officer. Nabil, Feri said, had received funds channeled by Ananda.
Ananda started a crowdfunding campaign on Sunday at kitabisa.com to raise money to support university students who wanted to protest in front of the House of Representatives on Monday and Tuesday.
The rallies, involving thousands of students from various campuses, saw the youth protesting against some controversial bills, including revisions to the Criminal Code, and what they perceived as attempts to roll back the country's political reforms and anticorruption commitment.
The campaign had garnered more than Rp 170 million (US$11,983) in donations by Friday, far exceeding its target of Rp 50 million. Nanda regularly updated information about the use of the funds through his Twitter account, which included providing the protesters with food and water, as well as emergency aid.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono previously confirmed that Ananda was questioned by the police as a witness, kompas.com reported. However, Feri said that Ananda's status upon his release was still unclear. (afr)