Head of TNI Information Center Denies News of TNI Being Ivan Sugianto's Backer

Photo taken from account X @oposisi6890

JAKARTA - Head of the TNI Information Center (Kapuspen) Major General TNI Hariyanto denied the news that a middle-ranking TNI officer had a business relationship, let alone being a backer, of the suspect in the bullying case in Surabaya, East Java, Ivan Sugianto.

Hariyanto explained that the middle-ranking TNI officer and Ivan Sugianto were ordinary friends, who had taken a photo in the same vehicle on September 18, 2024 or about a month before the bullying incident occurred on October 21.

"We have investigated it, the viral incident of Ivan Sugianto is not related to the middle-ranking TNI officer in the photo in the vehicle," said Kapuspen, quoted from Antara, Saturday, November 16, 2024.

In the photo, which was widely circulated on social media, around Monday, November 11, 2024, a middle-ranking TNI officer with the rank of colonel took a photo with Ivan Sugianto. In the photo, he is wearing TNI uniform.

Netizen konoha bertanya tanya siapa kolonel bersama papa pudel dalam mobil?

Ini jawaban

Perwira TNI ad merupakan kolonel moh sawi, beliau menjabat sebagai direktur pembinaan pendidikan (Dirbindik) pusat polisi militer (puspom) TNI. https://t.co/Y4qVnMovIW pic.twitter.com/3pln76a4Iw

— Opposisi6890 (@Opposisi6890) November 14, 2024

Ivan Sugianto is a suspect in a bullying case against a high school student in Surabaya. Ivan, who is known as a businessman and boss of night entertainment in Surabaya, forced the victim to prostrate and bark like a dog. Ivan's actions in bullying the high school student were recorded and the recording went viral on social media.

The video recording also provoked public anger, which then demanded that the police take action to investigate the bullying case. Ivan had issued a statement of apology which he addressed to the victim, the victim's family, the school, and the Indonesian people.

Despite the apology, the Surabaya Police on Thursday, November 14, 2024, arrested Ivan at Juanda Airport after he flew from Jakarta to return to Surabaya. The Surabaya Police had examined 11 witnesses and presented a case report, both of which became the basis for investigators' belief in naming Ivan as a suspect.

Ivan was then questioned for approximately three hours by investigators, then he was detained at the Surabaya Police Detention Center (Rutan). The child bullying suspect is threatened with being charged with multiple articles with a sentence of up to 3 years in prison.