Bandung Campus Clashes Deepen Indonesia's Anger Over Police Violence and Inequality

Tear gas reaches university gates as protests spread

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets near two universities in Bandung as Indonesia's protest movement entered its second week, bringing a confrontation over political privileges, economic hardship and police conduct to spaces students regard as places of refuge.

Crowds gathered around the Islamic University of Bandung (UNISBA) and nearby Pasundan University after dark as officers tried to disperse demonstrators. Police said they did not enter university grounds and were targeting protesters who were not students and had moved toward campus gates to seek shelter. Student groups accused officers of excessive force and said at least one student suffered serious injuries from rubber bullets.

UNISBA officials said the campus was serving as a medical hub for injured protesters. Images of tear gas outside lecture halls spread quickly on social media, bringing wider attention to the first police firing at demonstrators on or near university grounds during the current unrest.

By September 3, at least 10 people had died since the previous week, according to accounts cited by student groups and officials. Thousands had been detained nationwide, while civil society groups said at least 20 protesters were missing after attending rallies.

The demonstrations began over government spending and lawmakers' benefits. They grew more intense after Affan Kurniawan, a motorcycle taxi driver aged 21, was killed by a police vehicle in Jakarta on August 28. Students, delivery riders and workers have since connected demands for economic relief with calls for accountability over the security response.

Bandung has brought those demands together at campus gates. Students say university grounds should remain safe for debate, medical assistance and peaceful civic activity. Police say they were trying to clear surrounding roads and prevent further damage.

A housing allowance becomes a symbol of inequality

Demonstrations first gathered outside Parliament in Jakarta after reports that lawmakers were set to receive a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah. Critics said the payment dwarfed the monthly minimum wage earned by many workers and showed how far political privileges had moved from everyday financial pressures.

Students, delivery riders and labor union members demanded cuts to perks, a halt to new privileges and government spending that gave greater priority to basic needs and jobs. The allowance became a concrete focus for anger that already extended to wages, living costs and access to secure employment.

Workers argued that economic growth meant little when their pay could not cover basic expenses. Young Indonesians described difficulty finding good jobs, while many households with middle incomes felt squeezed by housing, transport and education costs.

The movement then widened beyond Parliament and beyond the capital. Civil society networks joined demonstrations, while labor unions brought demands for higher minimum wages, limits on outsourcing and stronger workplace protections. Outsourcing involves hiring workers through another company, an arrangement the unions want restricted.

Affan Kurniawan's death changes the protests

Affan Kurniawan had joined crowds near central Jakarta when a police vehicle struck and killed him on August 28. His death became a rallying point for Indonesians who saw the security response as part of a pattern of excessive force.

Thousands of motorcycle taxi riders attended his funeral. Riders gathered again in Jakarta to honor him, calling for a peaceful push for change while also demanding action on wage pressures and the rising cost of living. Grief over his death connected the experience of people earning a living on the streets with the wider debate over political spending.

President Prabowo Subianto and police leaders apologized to Affan's family. Senior officers also acknowledged violations of professional conduct by members of a police unit. Those steps did little to calm protesters who wanted broader changes in policing and accountability.

The protests developed through several stages:

• Before August 28, demonstrations outside Parliament focused on government spending and the proposed monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah for lawmakers.
• On August 28, a police vehicle struck and killed Affan Kurniawan in Jakarta, intensifying public anger.
• In the following days, demonstrations spread across major cities and other islands, accompanied in some places by arson, vandalism and clashes.
• By September 3, the confrontation near Bandung's universities had made campus safety another focus of the movement.

Online supporters adopted protest themed profile pictures and shared demands under the hashtag #ResetIndonesia. The response helped carry anger over Affan's death beyond the people attending demonstrations.

What students and police say happened in Bandung

Student bodies at UNISBA and Pasundan University said officers fired tear gas from outside campus gates after crowds gathered in nearby streets. Witnesses described volleys of canisters landing close to entrances where students had taken shelter. Student leaders reported breathing problems among classmates.

Police said they were dispersing demonstrators who were not students and had moved toward the campuses as clashes developed in surrounding areas. Authorities stressed that officers had stayed outside university grounds and said their priority was to clear roads and prevent further damage.

Medical volunteers and UNISBA administrators said university buildings were opened to people with minor injuries and those affected by tear gas. Student groups said one student was critically injured by rubber bullets and required surgery.

Campus leaders and students regarded the location as central to the dispute. People were seeking medical care and shelter at the universities while officers were carrying out dispersal operations nearby. Student leaders said the response put those people at risk and discouraged legitimate civic participation.

Rights advocates called for inquiries into the use of force in Bandung and elsewhere, including the handling of arrests. Indonesia's human rights commission began reviewing the events. International organizations also urged transparent investigations and tactics that would protect students and bystanders.

Why university grounds carry special weight

Indonesian students played a major role in the Reformasi movement that led to President Suharto's fall in 1998. That history helps explain why tear gas near university entrances has provoked anger beyond Bandung.

Universities have long been places for political discussion and the organization of peaceful civic action. Many students regard their grounds as neutral spaces where people can regroup, receive medical care and discuss what to do next without fear of aggressive policing.

UNISBA's use as a medical hub gave that expectation an immediate purpose during the unrest. University buildings were helping people recover from tear gas exposure and minor trauma while demonstrations continued outside.

Students viewed police action at campus gates as an effort to silence dissent. Security officials said they were trying to prevent crowds who were not students from using the campuses as cover during clashes. The competing positions have made the boundary between crowd control and campus safety a central issue in Bandung.

Indonesia's experience of student activism also gives the confrontation a wider political consequence: a security response perceived as threatening campus activity can draw more students into protests. Images of gas near lecture halls have already brought greater public attention to the grievances behind the demonstrations.

Deaths, detentions and families seeking answers

At least 10 people had died since the previous week as the unrest spread, according to accounts cited by student groups and officials. Casualties were recorded during clashes in several cities, while peaceful rallies and vigils continued alongside episodes of mob violence.

In Makassar, at least three people were reported dead after a parliament building was set on fire. In Yogyakarta, activists said a student was found dead with injuries they attributed to beatings. Those deaths added to calls for investigations into what happened during the demonstrations and the security response.

Crowds also gathered in Bali, Lombok and cities across Java and Sumatra. Government buildings were set on fire in some places, politicians' homes were vandalized, and confrontations developed between crowds and security forces.

Police detained thousands of people nationwide in connection with the unrest, including more than a thousand in Jakarta alone, as authorities sought to stop rioting and looting. Civil society groups said at least 20 protesters were missing after attending rallies in multiple cities. Families and activists were seeking information about their whereabouts and access to legal assistance.

Rights advocates warned that a lack of clear information about detention was deepening distrust. Lawyers also said the director of a Jakarta legal aid group had been arrested during the turbulence, while journalists described intimidation and rough treatment as they covered the protests.

Municipal officials in Jakarta put damage at millions of dollars, including burned vehicles, vandalized government property and looted residences. For residents and businesses near protest sites, the crisis has involved both fear of violence and disruption to ordinary work.

Prabowo combines concessions with calls for order

President Prabowo is confronting his first major test in office. He has directed security forces to maintain order and urged a firm response to rioting and violence, while also signaling that lawmakers' benefits should be reviewed.

Officials announced cuts to some benefits and limits on overseas travel by lawmakers after the nationwide backlash. Prabowo also met labor unions and said he had asked Parliament to discuss labor laws, bringing workplace demands into the government's response.

The president initially canceled a planned trip to China to deal with unrest at home, then made a brief appearance at a military parade in Beijing. His handling of the visit reflected the competing pressures of managing domestic unrest and maintaining foreign relations.

Prabowo described some violent acts during the protests as serious crimes. Rights organizations criticized language that linked unrest with terrorism or treason, warning that such labels risked criminalizing dissent.

Amnesty International and other organizations called on the government to address the reasons people were protesting, including economic stress and police conduct. They also demanded due process for detainees, meaning legal protections such as fair treatment and a proper procedure for deciding accusations.

Authorities increased the security presence at key government buildings, including the presidential palace, and established checkpoints around sensitive sites to deter further street clashes. The United Nations and other international bodies joined calls for investigations into police conduct and alleged abuses.

Wages and living costs keep the movement growing

Rising living costs and wages that many workers said had failed to keep pace helped the protests attract support beyond student groups. Youth unemployment was above 16 percent by some estimates for the Jakarta area, while young people described a shortage of good jobs.

Households with middle incomes faced pressure from housing, transport and education bills. Controversial tax proposals and problems with the free school lunch program added to distrust of central government policies.

Labor unions presented specific demands: higher minimum wages, restrictions on outsourcing and stronger enforcement of workplace protections. Their participation connected anger over lawmakers' housing allowance with disputes about how workers are paid and protected.

Banners in Jakarta and Bandung linked wage demands to calls for clean government. Protesters argued that money assigned to legislative privileges should instead support services and jobs. Students, delivery riders and informal workers, including people earning outside regular employment arrangements, became part of a loose coalition.

Affan's death also connected economic insecurity with policing. Protesters recalled earlier cases in which they believed officers had faced few consequences for excessive force. Their demands now include police reform, better crowd control training and clear limits on rubber bullets and tear gas near civilian spaces such as campuses and hospitals.

The allowance dispute gave the movement an easily understood financial grievance. The deaths, injuries and arrests expanded its demands into questions of personal safety and whether officials would be held accountable for their actions.

Social media carries both solidarity and evidence

Organizers used social media to circulate protest routes, legal advice, first aid guidance and videos of clashes. The hashtag #ResetIndonesia and the student driven Gelap Indonesia movement helped sustain discussion even when demonstrators left the streets.

Supporters changed profile pictures to signal solidarity and posted concise lists of demands that newcomers could quickly understand. Images from Bandung carried the campus confrontation to audiences far beyond the city, just as footage from individual streets elsewhere shaped the national debate.

TikTok temporarily suspended its live streaming feature in Indonesia during the most volatile days, citing safety concerns. Protest supporters said live broadcasts helped protect demonstrators by creating a public record of police actions.

Officials argued that false information and calls for violence were also circulating online. The disagreement put safety, freedom of expression and public accountability into the same debate in a country where millions use social media for news.

Social platforms remained important for coordinating aid and pressing for policy changes. The pause in live streaming also affected one of the ways protesters documented events as they unfolded.

Residents help while businesses face disruption

Residents near protest sites have also become part of the response. Accounts from Jakarta described people rinsing the eyes of strangers affected by tear gas and offering shelter in side streets.

Small businesses struggled when demonstrations became violent or authorities blocked access to major roads. Many shop owners shared concerns about inequality and governance while fearing the damage and lost trade that followed escalating clashes.

Bandung's universities faced a similar immediate challenge: keeping people safe while unrest continued nearby. UNISBA's medical assistance showed how an academic institution had become involved in caring for injured protesters as well as defending the space for civic activity.

As of September 3, the unrest had brought together demands for fairer spending, better wages, police accountability and information about missing protesters. Announced benefit cuts and official apologies had been followed by continuing anger over deaths, injuries and the handling of demonstrations.

The Bottom Line

• Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets near UNISBA and Pasundan University in Bandung, the first such confrontation on or near university grounds during the current unrest.
• Student groups reported serious injuries, including one student who required surgery. Police said officers did not enter campus grounds.
• The protests began over government spending and a proposed monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah for lawmakers.
• Affan Kurniawan, a motorcycle taxi driver aged 21, was killed by a police vehicle in Jakarta on August 28, intensifying demonstrations.
• At least 10 people had died since the previous week, thousands had been detained nationwide, and civil society groups said at least 20 protesters were missing.
• Prabowo backed firm action against violence while supporting a review of perks and discussion of labor laws. Officials announced cuts to some benefits and limits on lawmakers' overseas travel.
• Rights organizations and the United Nations urged investigations into police conduct and alleged abuses, alongside legal protections for detainees.
• Students, riders and unions linked economic demands with police reform, while social media helped organize assistance and document clashes.