The NTB DPRD Building Was Burned By Masses, Seats And Official Documents Were Arrested In Chaos

Residents took pictures of the NTB DPRD Building that caught fire during a demonstration in Mataram, NTB,

Mataram The demonstration in Mataram City ended in chaos after the masses burned and looted the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) DPRD building, Saturday, August 30 at noon. This incident occurred after the demonstrators launched their first action at the NTB Police Headquarters on charges of transparency over the death of Affan Kurniawan, a student who died when he was hit by a tactical vehicle during an action in Jakarta, Thursday, August 28 evening.

Mataram Police Chief, Kombes Pol. Hendro Purwoko, who was met during the security of the action, admitted that he could not confirm the detailed information regarding the incident. "I haven't checked yet, everything is still under consolidation," he said briefly.

At around 13.00 WITA, the masses who had previously been in the NTB Police Headquarters moved to the NTB DPRD building. They broke into the area of the council building and carried out anarchist actions. A large fire was seen eating the roof of the NTB DPRD building. The fire was extinguished at around 15.00 WITA, even before the fire brigade team arrived at the location. Even so, a number of hotspots are still on and are the focus of further extinguishing efforts.

Not only burning, the masses also carried out looting. Items such as chairs, computers, and water machines were seen being taken out by protesters. Important documents, including official travel documents, scattered in the courtyard of the building, some of which were also burned. A number of people were also reported to have managed to break into the council secretariat building.

Previously, the demonstration at the NTB Police Headquarters was attended by a group of online motorcycle taxi drivers with students from various campus organizations. They urged the police to be transparent in investigating the case of Affan Kurniawan. The crowd even managed to enter the lobby of the NTB Police Headquarters.

During the action, there was a provocation. The mob damaged the lobby glass door of the NTB Police Headquarters, but a platoon of Brimob who had been on guard managed to install barricades and dispel the crowd. However, the protesters then continued their action to the NTB DPRD building which ended in major riots.

Until this news was published, the Police were reported to have arrested a number of protesters suspected of being involved in arson and looting. However, the Mataram Police Chief is still reluctant to specify the number or identity of the perpetrators.

The situation around the NTB DPRD building this afternoon gradually became conducive after the authorities carried out strict security. However, the NTB DPRD building suffered severe damage due to the fire which scorched almost all the roofs of the building and the contents inside.