Muhammadan Mosque in Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia. (Zhilal Darma, Creative Commons)
SURABAYA, Indonesia (Morning Star News) – An 8-year-old Christian boy in Indonesia died from a ruptured appendix on May 26, days after older Muslim students beat him so severely he required hospital treatment, sources said.
It was unclear whether the beating of second-grade student Khristopel Butarbutar in Buluh Rampai village, Seberida Sub-District, Riau Province, Sumatra on May 19 by four or five Muslim fifth-graders caused the ruptured kidney that killed him.
Results of an autopsy released on May 27 described several bruises on Khristopel’s stomach and thighs caused by blunt force trauma and concluded that he died from an abdominal cavity infection due to a ruptured appendix, according to Indonesia’s Antara News Agency.
“We also found a leak in the right abdominal area,” a police officer identified only as Supriyanto told Antara. “The cause of death was an abdominal cavity infection due to a ruptured appendix.”
His father, Gimson Beni Butarbutar, said his son had been bullied due to his ethnicity and Christian faith, according to news outlet Jawapos.com.
“A week before, he had been bullied a lot,” Gimson reportedly said. “The perpetrators speak about his ethnicity, his religion. It happened before he got sick.”
The bullying reached its peak on May 19, when the older students gave his bicycle a flat tire and beat him, wartakotalive.com reported.
“That night, Khris had a high fever, back pain, and his lower abdomen was swollen,” Gimson told Jawapos.com, adding that his son’s classmates had told him, “Five seniors [ages 11 to 13] beat Khris.”
Neighbors said the bullies also kicked Khris’s genitals, according to catatanriau.com.
One May 20, Gimson reported the assault on his son to the school, SDN 12 Buluh Rampai State Elementary School in Indragiri Hulu Regency, and the next night at 8:25 p.m. his wife, Siska Yusniati Sibarani, contacted Khris’s homeroom teacher via WhatsApp to complain about his swelling and severe pain, according to Jabar.tribunnews.com.
The school principal, identified only as Sutarno, summoned the assailants and their parents to a mediation meeting with Khris’s parents on May 23, in which the older students admitted to hitting him, according to Gimson.
“They acknowledged that they assaulted my son,” he reportedly said.
Khris’s deteriorating condition prompted his parents to take him to a nearby clinic on May 25, but due to inadequate facilities he was referred to the Pematang Reba Regional Hospital in Rengat, capital of Riau Province. He died at 2:10 a.m. on May 26.
Autopsy results showed signs of violence on his body, bruises on the lower left abdomen and upper left leg on the front side and blood in his stomach, along with the ruptured appendix tissue, according to Grid.co.
“In addition, blood was also found in the fatty tissue under the skin in the stomach area, which indicates violence using a blunt object,” Indragiri Hulu Police Chief Fahrian Saleh Siregar told reporters on May 27.
The parents of the bullies attended his burial, along with several employees from the related schools and friends and family.
“The parents of the bullies were also present at the funeral home,” Tribunenews.com reported. “They also expressed their condolences.”
Responses
The Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia, MUI), Anwar Abbas, indicated he believed the bullying contributed to Khris’s tragic death.
“We are very concerned about the actions of our students who are still studying at the elementary school level, which are beyond the bounds of reasonableness, so that it caused the child to die,” Anwar told JawaPos.com on May 30.
Sabam Sinaga, a member of the national House of Representatives, stated that bullying must be taken seriously.
“The case needs special handling, and secondly the issue of bullying, because it is related to a minority religion in a school,” Sabam told detik.com on May 31. “It is possible that because of the limited number of educators related to minority religions, these children are not handled properly, especially during religious study hours.”
The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (ICPC) commissioner told media that bullying should be prevented and must not be tolerated.
“This case must be taken seriously by working simultaneously to end violence in educational units,” Dian Sasmita said. “Early detection and quick response are indispensable to prevent worse impacts.”
Bullying in schools in Indonesia has reached an alarming level according to ICPC data, sekolahmuridmerdeka.id reported. There were 1,478 reported cases of school bullying in 2023, according to the ICPC and the Indonesian Teachers Union Federation (ITUF). This marks a substantial increase from previous years: 266 cases in 2022, 53 cases in 2021 and 119 cases in 2020.
ICPC Commissioner Aris Adi Leksono disclosed that there were 141 reported cases of child violence in early 2024, according to Tempo.co. Notably, 35 percent of these cases took place in schools or educational institutions.
“The consequences of child violence in educational units range from physical/psychological pain, prolonged trauma, to death or children ending their lives,” Tempo.co reported.
Indonesian society has adopted a more conservative Islamic character, and churches involved in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to Open Doors.
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- Muhammadan Mosque in Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia. (Zhilal Darma, Creative Commons)
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