The Reason Garut Police Stop Legal Case Of Ex-Teacher Burning School

Garut Resort Police Chief AKBP Wirdhanto Hadicaksono shows a letter of acquittal for the school burning case at the Garut Police Headquarters, Friday (28/1/2022). (ANTARA/Purnama Ferry)

GARUT - The Garut Resort Police have stopped the legal process (restorative justice) against a suspect in the burning case of the Cikelet State Junior High School (SMPN) 1 in Garut Regency, West Java, because the school withdrew its report and would not trigger social conflict.

"We saw that the material and formalities were fulfilled (restorative justice)," said Garut Police Chief AKBP Wirdhanto Hadicaksono during a press conference for the release of the former teacher who burned the school in Garut, as reported by Antara, Friday, January 28.

He said the Garut Resort Police had taken legal action against Munir Alamsyah (53) a former teacher related to the burning case of the school where he used to teach at SMPN 1 Cikelet.

The action he took on January 14, 2022, he said, was a form of disappointment with the school, which he considered the school did not pay an honorarium of Rp. 6 million when he taught in 1996-1998.

The police chief said that the former teacher had undergone a legal examination, but finally an agreement was made to forgive the perpetrator and the police decided to release the charges based on Police Regulation Number 8 of 2021 regarding the problem of handling criminal acts based on restorative justice.

"We received an agreement from both parties, and it is based on Police Regulation number 8 of 2021 regarding the problem of handling criminal acts based on restorative justice," he said.

He explained that the case made it possible to carry out restorative justice against the perpetrators of the school fire, considering the relatively small amount of losses resulting from the fire.

Another consideration, said the Chief of Police, is because the person concerned is not a recidivist, and if he is released from legal charges, there will be no social conflict or harm to the community.

The police chief revealed that during the legal examination the perpetrator was not detained, investigators had taken him to a psychiatrist to check his mental condition.

Garut Police also provided assistance to the perpetrators because they were concerned about their lower middle class economic condition and did not work.

"He does not work, who is a former honorary teacher, based on the submission from the suspect that the suspect did the arson because the honorary salary has not been paid around Rp. 6 million," he said.

Previously, the suspect was a former honorary teacher of Physics at SMPN 1 Cikelet from 1996 to 1998, then he set fire to the school because he was disappointed with the school that did not pay his honorarium.

The suspect's actions were known by a number of witnesses at the school and based on CCTV footage, the police finally arrested the suspect.