Jamal Abdun Nashr, Jakarta – A school student in Magelang, DRP, claims to have been a victim of mistaken arrest by the police. Authorities apprehended dozens of people after a riot erupted in Magelang on August 29, 2025.

Based on the confession of DRP and his parents, on that day, he did not participate in the protest. "He just went out to make a cash on delivery transaction," said Julian Duwi Prasetia, Director of the Legal Aid Institute of Yogyakarta, who accompanied DRP on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.

DRP was arrested by the police when he was about to make a cash transaction for a delivery (Cash On Delivery or COD). "When he was buying gasoline, he was arrested and taken to the Magelang City Police Station," he said.

The police apprehended DRP along with dozens of others, mostly children. "When we counted, there were about 44 people," said Julian. They were later released.

However, there was a distribution of text messages containing photos and personal data of the arrested individuals. In the chain message, they were labeled as troublemaking demonstrators, including DRP.

Since the arrest, DRP claims to have been subjected to violence by the authorities. "I was beaten, assaulted, and whipped until it left marks, and forced to confess that I participated in the riot protest," he said.

This incident has been reported to the Central Java Regional Police. "There was difficulty in filing the report because the family's report was received as a form of complaint. In the context of criminal law, the levels of complaint and report are different," said Julian.

The Head of Public Relations for the Central Java Regional Police, Commissioner Besar Artanto, has not responded to the allegations of mistaken arrest and assault. Inquiries made to him have not been answered.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2049600/police-accused-of-wrongfully-arresting-students-in-magelang-rio