Police Chief Asks Residents To Hold On To The Damaged Statue At Kediri Temple

Kediri City Police Chief AKBP Wahyudi during a meeting related to the finding of a statue at the Grogol District Temple, Kediri Regency, East Java, which was found damaged, Friday (18/2/2022). ANTARA/HO-Police Kediri City

KEDIRI - Kediri City Police Chief AKBP Wahyudi asked all parties to exercise restraint and not be influenced by various issues that cannot be accounted for following the discovery of the Dwarapala Statue at Joyo Amijoyo Temple, Kalipang Village, Grogol District, Kediri Regency which was found damaged.

The Head of Police held a meeting with a number of parties, including Forkopimda and Forkopimcam, Grogol District, FKUB, PHDI and DK4, including Parisada Hindu Darma Indonesia (PHDI) and FKUB Kediri.

"We have decided that there are three important things that we will convey after holding the meeting, first all parties refrain from promoting a conducive social security system in the jurisdiction of the Kediri City Police. Second, the police will continue to investigate until the incident is clear. Third, no party which is clouding the current situation by spreading fake news," he said, quoted by Antara, Friday, February 18.

His party has indeed carried out an investigation related to the findings of the statue at the Joyo Amijoyo Temple, Kalipang Village, Grogol District, Kediri Regency which was found damaged. From the results of a temporary evaluation, it is suspected that the damage was not intentional.

He explained that at the location there were traces of the statue being returned to its original place.

"There is a possibility that an 'atret' truck or a motorcycle whose brakes were not maximal enough to cause it to hit and hit the statue and small trees/flowers around the statue. Currently, the TNI and Polri are conducting an investigation to reveal this case until it is clear. What is clear is the investigation. continues and we will continue to report developments," he said.

Meanwhile, the archaeologist of the Kediri Regency Tourism and Culture Office, Eko Priatno, said that he went directly to the location where the statue at the temple was reported to have been damaged. He also examined whether there was intentional or not related to the incident.

He also added that the damaged temples and statues were not included in the category of cultural heritage. The temple was used as a place of worship.

The chairman of the Kediri Regency Arts and Culture Council (DK4), Imam Mubarok, said he had also visited the location to confirm that the statue was damaged.

From the results of the monitoring carried out, he suspected that there was no damage, because the remains of the statue were returned to their original place.

The statue is located in the courtyard of the Joyo Amijoyo Temple, Kalipang Village, Grogol District. The statue is a guard statue with a height of 60 centimeters. His condition when found broken and separated from his leg.