Looking For Roots Of Problems That Trigger Police Vs TNI Clashes That Continue To Repeat

Officers dropped the body of a member of the National Police who was shot dead during a cockfighting gambling raid upon arrival at Bhayangkara Hospital, Lampung Police, March 18, 2025. (ANTARA/Dian Hadiyatna)

JAKARTA Clashes between the Indonesian National Army (TNI) and the National Police are repeated. This time it killed three policemen because of a chickenfighting raid on Way Kanan, Lampung.

On March 17, 2025 at around 16.50 WIB, there was a raid on cockfighting gambling in Karang Mani Village, Batin State District, Way Kanan Regency. In the incident, three Lampung Regional Police died. They became victims of shootings in the cockfighting arena which allegedly belonged to two members of the TNI.

The three policemen who died were the Batin State Police Chief Inspector Satu Lusiyanto, Bripka Petrus Apriyanto, and Bripda M. Ghalib Surya Ganta. Head of Public Relations of the Lampung Police, Kombes Pol. Yuni Iswandari explained that they suffered gunshot wounds to the head by unknown people.

This cockfighting gambling place is suspected to belong to members of the TNI Corporal Two B and Assistant Lieutenant One (Petul) L. After an investigation, both were named as suspects.

The incident in Way Kanan some time ago extended the conflict between the TNI and police in more than a decade.

The shooting case that occurred during the cockfighting gambling raid became a widespread concern. The public is wondering about what caused TNI members to shoot three police officers.

According to the confession of two witnesses with TNI backgrounds, this incident was caused by a fight over a chickenfighting gambling deposit. A number of members of the TNI and police are said to have received deposits from gambling actors.

They then clashed because they did not agree with the amount of money deposited, so that it finally triggered a shooting incident, according to the TNI official. Members of the police who are said to have received gambling money deposits are one of the victims of the shooting, namely the late Batin State Head, Way Kanan Iptu Lusiyanto.

Allegations of money from cockfighting gambling on Way Kanan flowed to members of the TNI and police and also circulated on social media. However, the National Police Chief, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, did not want to respond to the alleged dispute over deposit money between the TNI and the police.

"In the era of social media and AI (artificial intelligence) like now, it is better if we wait for the team to work and will definitely be completed," said Listyo Sigit.

Clashes between members of the TNI and Polri as happened in Way Kanan are not new events. The conflict between these two institutions is quite common. On November 19, 2014, the Riau Islands Regional Police Mobile Brigade Headquarters (Brimob) in Tembesi, Batam, was attacked by members of the Battalion Battalion Battalion Battalion 134 Tuah Sakti.

Reportedly, the cause of the clash was triggered by a trivial problem. Several members of Brimob and members of the aerospace are said to have looked at each other in a restaurant. Then there was a verbal war, but without a fist fight.

In the afternoon, there was a shootout because dozens of 134 Yonif members came to Brimob Headquarters and opened fire on Barak Lotus. There was one victim, the Soldier Head of Jack Marpaung who was shot in the chest.

Another clash occurred on February 27, 2001. In the midst of the riots between Sampit, West Kalimantan, TNI forces clashed with Brimob forces. This incident began with Brimob who forced the refugees they were escorting to be immediately promoted to the ship.

This request was rejected by members of the TNI who were tasked with guarding the evacuation site, and then they opened fire on each other.

Clashes between the TNI and the police continue until now. Prior to the incident in Lampung, in February 2025 dozens of TNI attacked the Tarakan Resort Police, North Kalimantan. The incident was allegedly due to a fight at a nightclub involving Tarakan Police personnel and members of Infantry Battalion 614/RJP.

According to Setara Institute records, there have been at least 37 cases of clashes between TNI and Polri members in the last 10 years. Researchers at the Setara Institute, Ikhsan Yosarie, said that conflicts that occur tend to be based on personal matters, rarely related to roles and functions.

Ikhsan added that the physical clashes of members of the TNI-Polri also almost always occur at the lower level, while conflict resolution is often only carried out symbolically at the elite level.

"That's what makes this kind of event keep repeating," he said, citing Tempo.

The same thing was expressed by researchers from the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies (ISESS) Bambang Rukminto. According to him, the conflict between members of the TNI and Polri at the lower level arose because there were differences in understanding of the main tasks and functions or functions of each.

"Apart from being a personal factor related to discipline and mentality," said Bambang.

Meanwhile, a Southeast Asian political lecturer and senior researcher at the Indo-Pacific Research Center atLAY University, Pacquia Baker said the commotion between the police and the TNI continued to emerge because they often got impunity.

"Special treatment makes them feel as if they are immune to the law. So they don't think long about acting," he said.

The repeated problems of the TNI and Polri clashes have also been discussed by military observer ISESS Khairul Fahmi after TNI soldiers attacked the Jayawijaya Police Headquarters, Papua, in March 2024.

After the incident, Army Chief of Staff (KSAD) General Maruli Simanjuntak said the incident of the attack by TNI soldiers was only emotional for a moment young people. This statement was criticized by Khairul Fahmi, who considered the statement as simplifying the problem even though similar incidents often repeated in various regions.

"The comment that again mentions that what happened was a form of misunderstanding, is that concentrationd comments simplify the problem," said Fahmi.

In many cases of dispute between the TNI and the police, according to Fahmi, the root of the problem is that there are feelings of superiority, arrogance, egosectoral, and intentional jealousy, which have been overpuntivated so that it causes excesses and is implemented inappropriately.

Fahmi even said that the TNI and Polri were designed as tools of state violence in order to uphold sovereignty, maintain territorial integrity, protect the community, maintain security, and enforce the law.

As a means of beating, the TNI and Polri are forged to win. They are also indoctrined that defeat is an embarrassing thing, therefore they must have superior mentality and arrogance to face opponents or enemies," explained Fahmi.

However, this is natural because they are prepared to be able to ward off any threats to the sovereignty and integrity of the country. The problem is, the superiority, arrogance, and sectoral egos turn out to generate jealousy from each other, for example related to the police who are given more authority in the form of law enforcement.

"Especially regarding issues of welfare and authority. In addition to maintaining the potential for violence against civilians," he concluded.