The death of Private Lucky Chepril Saputra Namo, allegedly at the hands of his superiors, has reignited public scrutiny over the entrenched culture of violent seniority within the Indonesian Military (TNI), particularly in the Army.

House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani said the relationship between senior and junior soldiers must be based on mutual respect, not intimidation or violence. While discipline is essential in the armed forces, she stressed that such practices must uphold humanity and the rule of law.

“This should never happen again. Senior-junior relations must not be based on violence, but on mutual respect,” Puan said at the Parliament Complex on Monday, August11, 2025.

She demanded that legal proceedings on the case be transparent and go beyond simply naming suspects.

“The investigation must uncover the root cause of this tragedy and ensure the harshest possible punishment as a deterrence,” she cited.

The case has shocked the general public after it emerged that a young platoon commander, a newly graduated second lieutenant from the Military Academy, was among those implicated.

Major General (ret) Tb Hasanuddin, a member of Defense Commission I of the House, expressed deep concern.

“Initially, I thought there were only four perpetrators. Now it’s 20, including the platoon commander a young officer, around 24 or 25 years old,” he said.

Hasanuddin emphasized that junior officers living in barracks should be supervising their troops, not joining them in criminal acts.

He called on the Military Police to fully uncover the motive behind Pvt Lucky’s death. “What really happened? Why did it lead to murder? The public deserves answers,” he said.

Army Spokesman Brigadier General Wahyu Yudhayana said the incident stemmed from a “training activity,” though he declined to provide further details pending the ongoing investigation.

The number of suspects in the case has now reached 20,all are members of the 834th Territorial Development Unit in Wakanga Mere, Nagekeo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

All have been detained and transferred to Kupang for further legal proceedings, according to Chief of the Udayana Regional Military Command Major GeneralPiek Budyakto.

A reconstruction of the events is planned as part of the next stage of the investigation.