Student Demonstration At Polda, Car Turns Around At Semanggi Intersection

JAKARTA - Traffic at Simpang Susun Semanggi Jalan Jenderal Sudirman towards Blok M in South Jakarta stopped due to student demonstrations in front of Polda Metro Jaya on Friday afternoon.

As a result of this, it appears that a number of motorized vehicles, both cars and motorbikes, were stuck at Simpang Semanggi, choosing to turn around.

As reported by ANTARA, Friday, August 29, a number of protesters who crowded the gates of the Polda Metro Jaya Headquarters on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman caused the road to narrow down to one lane, so that only the TransJakarta bus lane was still open.

Vehicles that lead to Blok M, but have not passed Simpang Semanggi, have also diverted their journey to Jalan Gatot Subroto to avoid demonstrations.

Meanwhile, the mobility of the people on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman who headed to Monas had stalled due to protesters crossing the road.

Dozens of motorcyclists were also seen stopping at Jalan Sudirman on the lane side towards Monas to witness a demonstration at Polda Metro Jaya on the opposite side.

In addition, the entrance to the Sudirman Integrated Commercial Zone (SCBD) near the Indonesia Stock Exchange, which is adjacent to the Polda Metro Jaya, has been blockaded in both directions to prevent protesters from entering the area.

Previously, a number of groups of students, including the All-Indonesian Student Executive Board (BEM SI) and the BEM University of Indonesia (UI) held a demonstration in front of the Polda Metro Jaya Headquarters on Friday afternoon.

The demonstration was carried out following the death of an online motorcycle taxi driver named Affan Kurniawan due to being run over by a Brimob tactical vehicle on Thursday (28/8) night.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Propam Police Division, Inspector General Abdul Karim, on Friday morning revealed that seven Brimob officers suspected of being involved in the rantis incident were still in the process of being investigated.

The incident that killed Affan then sparked a follow-up demonstration involving hundreds of community members and an online motorcycle taxi driver in front of Mako Brimob in Kwitang, Central Jakarta.