Sofyan’s Demise Should Not Be In Vain

Sofyan was a hero in the lives of those around him. He used his body to protect his colleagues from the scattered bomb material to prevent more victims from falling.

MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

The procession of handing over the body of Adjunct Inspector One Posthumously Sofyan from family to state in Sukawarna Village, Sukajadi District, Bandung City, West Java, Wednesday (7/12/2022)..

Boom....

The sound of the explosion was loud to the ears of Anne (44), a resident of Nyengseret, Astanaanyar district, Bandung, West Java. Her body suddenly got goosebumps. Frequently hearing news about earthquakes in a number of areas in West Java, she was worried that she might become one of the victims.

Although the news was equally gloomy, it was not the news about an earthquake that came to her ears. The loud sound came from a suicide bomb that exploded at the Astanaanyar District Police Office (Polsek).

The police station is about 200 meters from Anne's house.

The gathering of people and white smoke at the police station convinced her even more. “At that time, I was getting ready to serve customers. The location of the food stall is about 100 meters from the Polsek," said Anne, who sells lotek (vegetables with peanut sauce).

Anne said fortunately she had not started serving customers when the bomb exploded. She could not imagine being near the center of the explosion. Anne could have been killed or seriously injured.

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This concern is not excessive. The explosion killed two people, the perpetrator Agus Sujatno (34) and a member of the Astanaanyar Police, Adj. First Insp. Sofyan (41).

Sofyan died protecting nine of his comrades, who later suffered injuries. One other injured victim was Nurhasanah, a resident who happened to be passing by in front of the police station.

The news about the dead and the wounded frightened Anne. She thought she would not serve customers that day. She was worried that there would be another explosion.

However, seeing the apparatus moving quickly, securing the location around the incident, her fears were slowly overcome.

She realized that if she continued to be affected by anxiety, her life would be difficult. For that reason, she chose to keep selling, although this time she was much more vigilant.

KOMPAS/CORNELIUS HELMY HERLAMBANG

Police stand guard around the Astanaayar Police, Bandung City, Wednesday (7/12/2022)..

Learn to accept

In the digital sphere, calls for not spreading fear were made. Less than an hour after the explosion, Riki Waskito (44), the admin of several WhatsApp groups with hundreds of members, issued a written warning.

He asked all group members not to post photos or videos of the Astanaanyar incident. The warning was obeyed by all group members.

Not without reason did Riki take such a measure. If people carelessly spread the contents of the explosion, it would only trigger a vicious cycle of fear. When that happened, the wishes of the terrorists would eventually come true.

"If this is not prevented, it is prone to trigger similar [terror] cases," said Riki.

Agus' reckless act shows the potential vulnerability of this vicious circle to recur. At the end of February 2017, Agus was arrested by the police after Yayat Cahdiyat alias Abu Salam detonated a pan bomb in Cicendo, Bandung. Cicendo is about 4 kilometers from Astanaanyar.

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About two weeks later, Agus was arrested at his boarding house in Batununggal, Bandung. Living in a densely populated area, Agus was known to not socialize with others.

Agus was then detained from September 2017 to October 2021 at the Pasir Putih Class IIA Penitentiary in Nusakambangan. However, when freed, he was still hard to talk to and tended to avoid other people.

Rosidin, director of the Fahmina Institute, a non-profit organization that focuses on humanity, justice and equality, said that the repeated bombings show the importance of preparing all sides to welcome former terrorist convicts. Regional administration officials, villages and residents need to receive education in dealing with ex-terrorist convicts who have been released.

“Otherwise, they [former terrorists] may feel not accepted. In the end, they return to their friends who have extreme views and are prone to repeat their actions," he said.

Protect lives

When terror strikes again, the impact is truly heartbreaking. Tears that fell along with the rain in Sukasari district, Bandung, on Wednesday evening, accompanied Sofyan's demise. His wife and three children were still reluctant to leave the grave, which was still wet.

“He never had a problem with other people. He was a nice person. Easy to get along with anyone. He is the pride of the family," said Salman (45), Sofyan's brother, with a small smile, but with a trembling tone of voice.

Despite the loss, Salman accepted the demise of his younger brother who died on duty. He knew that Sofyan used his body to protect his colleagues from the scattered bomb material to prevent more victims from falling.

As public servants, we should not be complacent. You have to be careful.

"His demise has taught us not to be afraid of terror," said Salman.

Head of the Community Development Unit at Bandung Big City Resort Police, Adj. Sr. Comr. Sutorih, said that Sofyan's sacrifice of being the first (policeman) to prevent the perpetrator from entering further into the Astanaanyar Police Station will always be an example.

Sofyan was a hero in the lives of those around him. Sutorih hopes that this enthusiasm will continue to be an inspiration to other police personnel.

“Fear only Allah. However, as public servants, we should not be complacent. You have to be careful," he said.

This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo.