Crowds of demonstrators fled the scene outside the parliament in the capital Jakarta, according to a Reuters witness, and Kompas TV reported that stones were thrown at the complex.
The rally was one of several in Indonesia on Monday, including in South Sulawesi, West Java and Jakarta, where hundreds of neon-jacketed students marched to parliament to complain about rising commodity prices and the prospect of the president exceeding his limit on two terms. .
Jakarta police chief Fadil Imran said at a press conference that a university lecturer participating in the demonstration suffered “serious” injuries after being beaten and stepped on by a group of “non-students”. He added that six police officers who tried to help the lecturer were also injured.
He did not say why the group targeted the lecturer.
Jokowi, the famous president, tried Sunday to dispel rumors of a plan hatched by his allies to keep him in power longer.
The idea of extending his tenure by changing the constitution or postponing the 2024 election has recently gained momentum in the world’s third-largest democracy after being publicly endorsed by some influential political figures.
“It’s clear how the elites are forcing themselves to delay elections, and it’s damaging the constitution,” said Muhammad Lutfi, a student who attended the protest.
The idea of allowing more than two to five years in office heightened concerns about the threat to hard-won democratic reforms.
On Sunday, for the second time in less than a week, Jokowi, 60, called on ministers and security chiefs to stop discussing the issue to prevent public speculation, and said it was clear elections would take place in February 2024 as planned.
He has been criticized for his ambiguous stance on the issue, calling it a slap in the face and just an “idea” but not outright rejecting it or ruling out the possibility of staying in power longer.