Indonesian police have used tear gas on crowds of protesters near two universities, student groups and authorities said, amid ongoing nationwide protests targeting government spending, and burgeoning fury following a motorcycle taxi driver’s death after being hit by a police car.
On Tuesday, authorities deployed tear gas around the campuses of the Islamic University of Bandung (UNISBA) and nearby Pasundan University, more than 140km (86 miles) west of the capital, Jakarta.
Muhammad Ilham, a Pasundan student, told the Reuters news agency that authorities fired tear gas canisters from outside the campus gates as well as rubber bullets.
“There was a student who got hit by the rubber bullet, two shots,” he said.
At least eight people have died in the protests since last week, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said on Monday.
According to police official Hendra Rochmawan, authorities on Tuesday did not enter the campuses but tried to break up crowds of non-student protesters who had been seeking protection within the university grounds.
UNISBA rector Harits Nu’man echoed the police statement and confirmed that the campus had been used as a medical hub for protesters.
Nevertheless, the UNISBA student body accused security forces of seeking to silence dissent, saying they “brutally attacked” the campus as tear gas caused breathing problems for some students.
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