Demonstration in Al-Zaytun, Police Deploy 1,200 Personnel for Security

The masses from the Dharma Ayu Solidarity Forum plan to hold a demonstration in front of Ma'had Al-Zaytun, Indramayu, West Java, Thursday (22/6/2023). The police deployed 1,200 personnel to maintain the situation.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

The atmosphere around the entrance of Mahad Al-Zaytun in Mekarjaya Village, Gantar Subdistrict, Indramayu District, West Java, was tense on Thursday (22/6/2023). A total of 1,200 police officers were on standby to handle the protest from the Dharma Ayu Solidarity Forum.

INDRAMAYU, KOMPAS - As many as 1,200 police personnel have been dispatched to secure a demonstration in front of Ma'had Al-Zaytun, Indramayu Regency, West Java, on Thursday (22/06/2023). According to the plan, thousands of people from Forum Solidaritas Dharma Ayu will protest at the Islamic boarding school.

As of Thursday at 11:00, the police are still on alert around the entrance gate of Ma'had Al-Zaytun in Mekarjaya Village, Gantar District. Barbed wire surrounds the gate of the boarding school. Inside the pesantren, hundreds of people are also on guard. Al-Zaytun security personnel were even seen preparing a number of dogs.

"The barbed wire is for anticipation. Hopefully, there will be no mass gathering," said the Head of Indramayu Police Resort, Senior Commissioner Fajri Siregar."

The two masses referred to are from Al-Zaytun and the Dharma Ayu Solidarity Forum (FSDA). The forum consists of several institutions, such as GIBAS, the Prison LSM, and the Indramayu Care Forum.

Also read: Police Investigate the Death of Two Santri Al Zaytun Indramayu

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

The atmosphere around the entrance of Mahad Al-Zaytun in Mekarjaya Village, Gantar District, Indramayu Regency, West Java, Thursday (22/6/2023). A total of 1,200 police officers were on standby to handle a demonstration from the Dharma Ayu Solidarity Forum.

In the notification letter of the planned demonstration received by the police last Monday, FSDA plans to hold a rally at 10.00 AM with a number of participants up to 10,000. The demands of the protesters include the closure and disclosure of the Al-Zaytun funding channel, the arrest of Panji Gumilang, and the thorough investigation of the alleged state land takeover by Al-Zaytun.

Fahri did not deny the potential of two crowds meeting during the demonstration. Therefore, 1,200 personnel from the Indramayu Police, Kuningan Police, Majalengka Police, and West Java Regional Police were prepared. "We already have SOP (standard operating procedures) for crowd control. There are regulations," he said.

Read also: Sewing Religious Tolerance Through Education

The crowd control procedure, said Fahri, has a number of stages, starting from negotiations between the two parties and ending with the deployment of dalmas officers. The police on guard also wore vests, shields, batons and tear gas. The police have also prepared water cannons to disperse the crowd if it turns into chaos.

Until now, Fahri stated that the condition is still conducive. As for the FSDA masses, they have not arrived at Al-Zaytun yet. They plan to gather at Alun-alun Haurgeulis and its surrounding areas before heading to the action point. The police have also prepared several guard posts to anticipate the presence of masses from outside FSDA.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

The atmosphere around the entrance of Mahad Al-Zaytun in Mekarjaya Village, Gantar District, Indramayu Regency, West Java, on Thursday (22/6/2023) was tense. Around 1,200 police officers were on guard to handle the demonstration by the Dharma Ayu Solidarity Forum.

So far, the police have not received any information regarding an increase in the number of protesters from FSDA. According to Fahri, 1,200 personnel and adequate equipment are sufficient to handle the demonstration. "We have communicated with both parties. We urge everyone to remain calm. Our technical team is in discussion with Al-Zaytun," he said.

The protest in front of Ma'had Al-Zaytun this time is the second one after the action on Thursday (15/6/2023) by the Forum Indramayu Menggugat. The demands of the protesters at that time were to thoroughly investigate allegations of unusual teachings at Al-Zaytun, investigate the ownership of land at the pesantren, and halt the construction of a special dock.

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil stated that he has assigned an investigation team from the West Java Provincial Government to search for facts from Al-Zaytun. The team began working on Tuesday (20/6/2023) and will work for seven days. "I ask Al-Zaytun boarding school to be cooperative and give the widest possible answers," he said in a written statement.

Inside the pesantren, hundreds of people are also on guard. Al-Zaytun security officers were even seen preparing a number of dogs.