A woman was killed in Central Java on Thursday after a raid by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) escalated into a violent confrontation with hundreds of local residents, despite the presence of police officers.
"We have detained 48 members of the FPI who were allegedly involved in the Sukorejo clash," Central Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Dwi Pryatno told the state-run Antara news agency. "They're being questioned at the Kendal police station."
FPI members traveled to Sarem, Sukorejo, on Wednesday afternoon to force the closure of an unknown number of "entertainment venues," damaging numerous buildings in the process, Kompas.com reported.
On arrival, the Islamic hard-liners were met by residents, whose greater number forced the FPI out, injuring two FPI members and destroying two cars.
After taking the two injured men to the police, local residents met with a FPI representative in Temanggung on Wednesday night and demanded the FPI pay for damages. The FPI refused to comply with that request.
The Jakarta Globe has yet to confirm independently the events on Friday afternoon, but Kompas.com reported that 27 FPI members were allowed to return to Sukorejo, accompanied by an unknown number of police officers.
When the 27 arrived at Sukorejo, they were met by hundreds of residents and were forced to flee, with a group of local residents giving chase.
A Toyota Avenza carrying FPI activists then struck a motorcycle carrying Tri Munarti and her husband, Yulianto. Tri was killed. Yulianto survived.
The local residents caught the car after two kilometers. "The [Toyota] was scorched, and the pickup truck was badly damaged," Ellen Cornelis, the deputy chairman of Ansor Kendal, Nahdlatul Ulema's youth wing, told Tempo.co.
Ellen said local residents opposed the FPI members because they were not residents of the subdistrict. "They're from Temanggung and other regions outside Sukorejo," Ellen said.
Afterward, the townspeople surrounded a mosque where around 20 FPI members were praying. Police decided to escort them out and take them to a police station.
Sr. Comr. Djihartono told news portal Liputan 6 that police named three FPI members as suspects, including the man who is alleged to have killed Tri. Central Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Dwi Pryatno said on Thursday night that police have detained 48 FPI members for questioning.
Dwi said that law enforcers previously warned mass organizations in Central Java to not carry out raids that may disturb public order. He added that police officers and soldiers have been stationed to prevent further conflict.
Kendal district police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Asep Jenal Ahmadi told Antara that besides Tri and Suyatmi, five others, including one police officer, were injured in the raid.
FPI Secretary General Awit Masyhuri claimed the man driving the car was on his way to Temanggung to file a police report on the residents who attacked the group while they were conducting their raids on Wednesday.