Violence Hoax Video Spreader Of Padang PPKM Officers Until Blind Hunted By Police

Head of Public Relations of the West Sumatra Police, Kombes Pol. Satake Bayu (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The police are investigating a hoax video spreader, former member of the Central Tapanuli DPRD, West Sumatra, Awaluddin Rao, who admitted that he was blind because he was stabbed by an emergency PPKM insulation officer in Padang City.

"We are still investigating the case of spreading a video that allegedly contains fake news," said the Head of Public Relations of the West Sumatra Police, Kombes Pol. Satake Bayu, in Padang, as reported by Antara, Monday, July 19.

According to him, the case is detrimental to emergency PPKM officers who work in the field to limit people entering the city of Padang.

"The video circulating is as if the officers did the wrong thing," he said.

He said the video spreader could be charged with Article 28 of the Electronic Transaction Information Law (ITE) with a penalty of six years in prison

Previously, the Head of the Lubuk Kilangan Police, AKP Lija Nesmon, for the Lubuk Kilangan (Luki) Sector, Padang City, dismissed accusations of having acted repressively against a man at the Lubuk Paraku area blockade post, on Friday, July 16 morning.

The incident became public attention after a video of a man with a bloody face claiming to be "blind" went viral on social media on Saturday, July 18.

It was later discovered that the person concerned was a former legislator named Awaludin Rao.

"It's not true that there was repressive action in that incident, we regret the video that went viral as if we had taken (repressive) action," he said.

The video does not show the whole incident, causing a misunderstanding in the community.

Lija Nesmon said that the incident began when the driver was about to enter the city of Padang via the Lubuak Paraku Blocking Post on Friday, July 16, at around 02.30 WIB.

The vehicle was then stopped by the officer to check the driver's documents as a requirement to enter Padang City during the emergency PPKM period.

These requirements are in the form of a vaccine certificate or PCR or antigen test results that declare COVID-19 free.

However, he and his colleagues could not show these requirements so they were asked to turn around like other vehicles that did not meet the requirements.

"When asked to turn back, the driver did not accept, protested, and started provoking officers, even though we were only carrying out our duties according to the rules and regulations," he said.