Jakarta. A total of 120 students from several regions planned to travel to Jakarta to join a labor demonstration in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday. However, the plan was uncovered by the police and successfully prevented.

Head of Public Relations at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Ade Ary Syam Indradi, said the students were stopped by officers at several district police stations under the Metro Jaya jurisdiction. From the interrogation, the students admitted their intention was to join the workers’ protest at the DPR building.

“It is very unfortunate that this is still happening. At around 08:30 this morning, 120 students were intercepted, prevented, guarded, and protected. The intention was to keep them safe,” Ade Ary said.

According to him, the students’ movement was detected through information provided by labor groups to the police, prompting officers to take immediate preventive action.

The students came from different regions. As many as 48 students were secured by Bekasi Regency Metro Police. They came from Bekasi Regency, Indramayu Regency, and Cirebon Regency in West Java.

Meanwhile, Tangerang City Metro Police prevented 11 students from Serang, Banten, from heading to Jakarta.

“Bekasi City Metro Police successfully protected and prevented 29 students from Cirebon and Purwakarta,” said Ade Ary.

Metro Depok Police stopped seven students from Depok City, while Central Jakarta Metro Police secured 25 students from Indramayu and Cianjur.

According to police, the students learned about the workers’ protest through social media and decided to join the mass rally in front of the DPR Building.

This is not the first time students have been involved in protests at the DPR building. Earlier, hundreds of students were also taken into custody during a demonstration involving university students and the general public at the DPR office on Monday. The students were detained following clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators. They were later released the following day. The protest itself was organized through invitations that spread on social media.