TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Social media activist, Palti Hutabarat, received a threat in the form of a dog's head sent by an unknown person to the yard of her parents' house in Namo Rambe District, Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on Wednesday morning, March 18, 2026. Palti, who was in Jakarta at the time, learned about it through photos and a video sent by her brother via the family's WhatsApp group.
The documentation showed a brown-furred dog's head lying decapitated in front of the house without any covering. According to Palti, the night before the incident, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, her brother heard a sound of something falling in front of the house but it was only checked the next day.
"On Wednesday morning, Mama woke up my brother to check what was in front of the house. That was the dog's head sent by my brother via the family's WhatsApp group," said Palti when contacted on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle cadre mentioned that the sender of the carcass could not be traced as the surveillance cameras at the security post were damaged. There were also no surveillance cameras around the house.
From the information gathered through the complex security guard, it was mentioned that no suspicious individuals were spotted in the area until Tuesday from 11:00 PM to midnight WIB. She suspected that the perpetrator sent the dog's carcass before 11:00 PM or after midnight.
The carcass is now taken by the security coordinator to be reported to the local security commander. The complex's security is also planning to conduct nightly patrols to her house as a precautionary measure.
Palti sees the dog's head as an attempt to terrorize her, as she has often criticized the policies of President Prabowo Subianto's government through social media. She suspected that the purpose of this terror was to make her stop creating content containing criticism.
"Seeing my content that often criticizes the government, especially directed at Mr. Prabowo, I suspect that the intention is to instill fear," said Palti.
She hopes that the authorities will investigate this case since it has caused fear and anxiety for her family. Moreover, according to Palti, this terror occurred after the activist KontraS, Andrie Yunus, was attacked with acid on Thursday night, March 12, 2026.
She also fears that there will be an increase in terror, as experienced by the influencer Ramond Dony or DJ Donny who received a chicken carcass on Monday night, December 29, 2025, and his house was firebombed two days later.
"My family already knows that I am currently strongly criticizing the government. My family is more concerned about my condition because the escalation of terror could happen, as experienced by DJ Donny or Andrie Yunus," she said.
Palti mentioned that a few days before the dog's head was sent, she received other threats. First, an unknown person asked about the whereabouts of her parents' house occupants on the previous Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Then, on Friday, March 13, 2026, a fictitious shopping package arrived at her parents' house with a cash on delivery method.
Then, on Saturday, March 14, 2026, a courier also delivered a package in the name of her late father to her parents' house. Due to the suspicion that the shopping packages contained threats, she asked her family not to open them and return them to the courier.
Palti's suspicion arose after receiving threats via WhatsApp messages from an unknown number on February 25, 2026. Messages from two different numbers attached a photo of Palti with red writing accusing her of being a spreader of hoaxes. One of the sentences in the picture read, "Palti Hutabarat Antek Banteng Seruduk Sana-Sini," (Palti Hutabarat, the Bull's Stooge, Strikes Here and There).
Currently, Palti is receiving assistance from the Legal Aid and People's Advocacy Body of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (BBHAR PDI Perjuangan).BBHAR PDIP condemns the sending of the animal carcass to Palti, especially during the month of Ramadan.
"We urge the law enforcement to immediately uncover this case and apprehend the perpetrator," said BBHAR PDIP member, Wiradarma Harefa, when contacted on Wednesday night, March 18, 2026.
Read: Police, TNI to Collaborate on KontraS Activist Andrie Yunus Acid Attack Case
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