TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Head of Public Relations for the Yogyakarta Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Ihsan, confirmed that one of their undercover officers was questioned by students from the Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta (UMY) Alliance. A video showing students surrounding the man has been making the rounds on social media, captioned "Intel masuk kampus UMY" (Intel infiltrates UMY campus).
"Regarding the reports of a police intelligence operative being temporarily detained by students on the UMY campus, we can confirm that the officer is a member of the Yogyakarta Regional Police," Ihsan stated in Yogyakarta on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
The officer was cornered after the students staged their protest. In a video uploaded by the Instagram account @UMY_Bergerak, the man appeared pale, occasionally pressing ice cubes against his face.
Ihsan explained that the officer was tasked with securing the student demonstration in Yogyakarta. He maintained that the operative’s presence was intended to monitor the situation and ensure the demonstrators returned to campus safely.
According to Ihsan, the confrontation boiled down to a misunderstanding. "It has been resolved amicably through good communication and coordination with the university rectorate and the students," Ihsan said.
Ihsan noted that the police have been actively deploying personnel to locations that have become focal points for student protests in Yogyakarta. He defended the move as part of the force’s duty to protect the public’s right to free speech. "The police are here to provide security so that the expression of aspirations can proceed safely and orderly, without disrupting public activities," he added.
A number of student coalitions staged protests across Yogyakarta on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. Alongside the UMY Bergerak (UMY Movement) Alliance, student groups from UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta also converged on the same location at the Zero Kilometer milestone.
The rally, which ran from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., drew roughly 470 participants. By midday, demonstrators began filling the Zero Kilometer area, wielding flags and banners emblazoned with their aspirations.
A pickup truck served as a makeshift stage for speeches, where speakers took turns airing grievances over national issues and socioeconomic conditions.
In their demonstration, the UMY Bergerak Alliance rallied under the banner "Menuju Pembebasan Nasional" (towards national liberation), leveling a series of demands at President Prabowo Subianto's administration.
Their demands included a call to scrap policies deemed detrimental to the public, lower the prices of fuel and basic commodities, halt the criminalization of civil society, strengthen the education and healthcare sectors, and accelerate agrarian reform.
Meanwhile, students from UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta pressed for their own set of demands, including the cancellation of the free nutritious meal (MBG) and Red and White Village Cooperative programs, the repeal of the Police and Military Laws, revisions to political party funding regulations, and the swift implementation of agrarian reform.
Read: Women Protesters Push Past Police Blockade to Reach Jakarta Rally Site
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