Jakarta protest: President Prabowo expresses shock at ‘excessive police actions’ after delivery rider's death, calls for probe
In videos circulating online, a Police Mobile Brigade tactical vehicle is seen running over Affan Kurniawan, 21, after he fell onto the road.
A screengrab of a video circulating online showing an Indonesian Police Mobile Brigade tactical vehicle running over a Gojek rider during protests in central Jakarta on Aug 28, 2025. (Image: X/@ombiawak)
JAKARTA: Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto has called for an investigation into the death of a delivery rider who was run over by a police tactical vehicle during a student protest in Jakarta on Thursday (Aug 28) night, saying he was “shocked and disappointed by the excessive actions” of the police force.
In a video statement on Friday, Prabowo said he was “saddened and concerned” about the death of Gojek rider Affan Kurniawan, 21, and sent his condolences.
The government will “guarantee his family’s livelihood”, said the president, calling for the public to be calm and trust in his government.
Earlier, officials had apologised and vowed a transparent probe.
“We offer our deepest apologies to the victim, his family and the wider online motorcycle taxi driver community,” Indonesian national police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo told reporters early Friday morning after paying respects to the late Affan and his family.
“I deeply regret what happened,” he told journalists at the hospital where Affan was sent after being hit. Affan was reportedly not involved in the protest and was doing deliveries at the time.
Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri also apologised and vowed full accountability, including ensuring legal action against those involved, when he spoke to the media hours before Listyo.
The Professional and Security Division (Propam) of the national police has detained seven officers from the Jakarta Metro Jaya Regional Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) in connection with the incident.
They are currently being questioned, said Propam chief Abdul Karim, who emphasised a transparent probe with the involvement of external oversight bodies to ensure accountability.
Prabowo said “serious action in accordance with the law” would be taken against the officers if they are found to have broken the rules.
The incident occurred at around 7.25pm on Thursday in the Pejompongan area in central Jakarta, near the parliament building where various protests have taken place this week.
Thursday’s protest was led by labour unions demanding better wages, an end to layoffs and stronger anti-corruption measures. Their six demands included a revision to Indonesia’s 2020 Job Creation Law, elimination of outsourcing practices, raising of minimum wages and lowering of taxes.
According to news outlet Kompas, the labour union groups had dispersed by the afternoon but another demonstration by student groups from several Jakarta universities continued.
In videos circulating online of the incident, a Brimob tactical vehicle is seen speeding through a crowd of protesters. Affan, who was wearing a green motorcycle taxi rider’s jacket, is seen falling onto the road, with the armoured vehicle then running over him.
The vehicle did not stop despite the crowd throwing objects at it.
“There was a motorcycle taxi driver who fell and was hit, but the vehicle did not stop and just moved over until it ran over the victim,” an eyewitness named Kevin told Kompas on Thursday.
According to local media outlet Warta Kota, Affan was rushed to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in central Jakarta but succumbed to his injuries.
According to witnesses, Affan was in the middle of delivering an order to the Bendungan Hilir area in central Jakarta.
Andi Kristiyanto, chairman of the National Ojol Coalition Presidium, said Affan may have slipped while trying to cross the street. Motorcycle taxi riders are known as “ojol” in Indonesia.
“When he was run over, the vehicle should have reversed but it did not. Maybe because the crowd was also moving towards the vehicle so it kept going,” Andi told Kompas.
Tech firm GoTo, which was formed by the merger of Gojek and Tokopedia, confirmed Affan was a Gojek driver-partner in a statement on Friday, reported CNBC Indonesia.
“We express our deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to his family and fellow driver-partners,” its statement said.
The incident sparked outrage among motorcycle taxi drivers, with some reportedly chasing the vehicle to the Brimob headquarters in Kwitang to demand accountability from the police.
The hashtag #polisipembunuh, which translates to #killerpolice in English, was trending on social media platform X on Friday.
An online video showed hundreds of riders forming a convoy to send Affan off and local media reported he was buried on Friday morning at Karet Bivak Public Cemetery (TPU) in central Jakarta.
Students vowed to protest against police violence at Jakarta's police headquarters on Friday. Muzammil Ihsan, head of Indonesia's largest student union, told Reuters he expected other student groups to attend.
Protests also took place on Monday near the parliament building in Jakarta, with hundreds of people from student groups and other organisations rallying against new and increased monthly allowances for Members of Parliament.
The protestors deemed the increase inappropriate at a time of economic uncertainty and government austerity measures. They also demanded the repeal of a number of laws, such as one expanding the role of the military in governance.
Prabowo said in his video statement he has been monitoring developments over the past few days, especially Thursday night’s protests which led to what he described as “anarchic actions”.
“I would like to emphasise that these (riots and protests) will not benefit the people, the society and the nation,” he said.
