Bandar Lampung – Lampung Military Police yesterday began investigating eight military officers allegedly involved in the shooting that took place during a students protest in front of the Bandar Lampung University (UBL) campus on Tuesday. One student was killed during the demonstration.
Military police have confiscated several guns from the Kedaton military command, located near the UBL campus, which were allegedly used to shoot protesters during the demonstration protesting the State Security Law (PKB).
Lampung Military Police Commander Lieutenant Colonel Bagus Heroe Sucahyo said military police were still investigating the clash between protesters and security officers. Dozens of protesters were also injured during the clash.
"In addition to investigating eight military officers, we are also examining the firearms used," he told journalists in Bandar Lampung yesterday. He acknowledged that military police could not determine the time of the shooting, but undertook to probe the case seriously.
Sucahyo added that the investigation was now focused on security officers from Kedaton military command. "We respect the principle of the presumption of innocence, but our findings in the location indicate we should concentrate our attention on military personnel," he said.
Meanwhile, Military Commander of the Garuda Hitam military region, Colonel Mudjiono, accused the Democratic People's Party (PRD) of using the student protest for its own political advantage. However the accusation was later denied by PRD activist, Andi Arif.
"We admit that we gathered with students during the protest rejecting PKB bill, but there were also other parties there too. We therefore absolutely deny that the PRD was there just to use the students," he said.
Three days after the bloody incident, two students remain in a coma at Bandar Lampung's Advent hospital. They are Saidatul Fitri from Lampung University and another unidentified student from Bandar Lampung University.
Yusuf Rizal (23), a student at Unila, who was killed in the incident was buried on Wednesday in Kedamaian public cemetery, East Tanjung Karang.