A viral video has been making the rounds showing an armoured vehicle running over an online ojol (motorcycle taxi) driver during a protest near the Bandungan Hilir II flats in Central Jakarta, Indonesia.
According to Lily Pujiati, Chair of the Indonesian Public Transportation Workers Union (SPAI), the incident on August 28 led to the driver’s death as police were dispersing protesters.
Police fired tear gas in the area
According to a witness, an armoured vehicle ran over the e-hailing rider who had fallen in the middle of the road. He said the vehicle didn’t stop and just kept going, eventually crushing the driver.
The witness explained that police had been trying to hold back protesters near the Pejompongan gas station before the armoured vehicle suddenly sped through the road, showing little concern for the crowd.
On top of that, police also fired tear gas toward nearby flats.
“Even residents on the 10th floor could still smell the tear gas,” the witness added.
Students were forced off their motorbikes and arrested
Tempo reported that along Gatot Subroto Street, dozens of students heading toward the Parliament complex were stopped, arrested on the spot, and taken to the Jakarta Metro Police Headquarters. It was part of nationwide protests seeking the dissolution of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR).
Some were forced off their motorbikes, with a few even falling and left limping. Witnesses said many of the officers weren’t in uniform, and some students were beaten and kicked without any clear reason.
One student who was arrested claimed he wasn’t even planning to join the protest and had just returned from school.
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Also read: Huge Riot Breaks Out in Jakarta as Indonesians Protest New Additional ~RM13,000 Allowance for MPs
