Higher Education Minister concerned about unusual student death cases, calls for bully-free campus

Jakarta – Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Mendiktisaintek) Brian Yularto said he was shocked and concerned to learn that a student from Udayana University (Unud) with the initials TAS (21) committed suicide because he was bullied by other students. Brian admitted that he had contacted the chancellor to ask for an explanation. “We are of course very shocked and very concerned about the incident or disaster that befell Timothy Anugrah Saputra, a student at Udayana University. We have contacted the chancellor and we have asked for an explanation,” Brian said after attending a limited meeting with President Prabowo on Jl Kertanegara, South Jakarta, Sunday (19/10/2025). “I also communicated with the chancellor today to get an update on what actually happened,” he added. SCROLL TO CONTINUE CONTENT Brian said the campus has formed a team to investigate the bullying case that hit Timothy. He hopes that bullying cases will be handled transparently and cases will not be repeated. “We also received a report from the Chancellor that the Chancellor has put together a team, first to look at what really happened. Then also to provide assistance, both to the family and other parties, who may be connected to this case,” said Brian. “Then we also have to ensure that campus conditions are really conducive, which means that nothing like this can happen again,” he added. Brian emphasized that campuses must be safe from acts of violence. He asked the rectorate at every campus, including students, to build a favorable atmosphere so that bullying incidents do not happen again. “We emphasize that the campus is a safe space, it must be safe from acts of violence or bullying. We already have a Minister of Education and Culture regulation in 2024, which regulates how to prevent and deal with violence on campus,” said Brian. As is known, TAS (22), a seventh semester student at the FISIP Unud Sociology study program, died after jumping from the fourth floor of the FISIP Unud building, Denpasar, Bali on Wednesday (15/10). Police confirmed that the victim jumped from the fourth floor, not the second floor as reported. Head of Public Relations for the Denpasar Police, Commissioner I Ketut Sukadi, said the victim appeared panicked before the incident. According to him, the witness saw TAS appear at the elevator door with a backpack and a white shirt on. “It seems that people are panicking and looking around the campus,” Sukadi said on Thursday (16/10). BAG lying in front of the FISIP Unud campus lobby after jumping from the fourth floor. He was rushed to Prof Ngoerah General Hospital Denpasar, but his life could not be saved. He was pronounced dead at 13.03 WITA due to internal bleeding. After TAS’s death, a number of screenshots of student group conversations circulated on social media. In the conversation, a number of students from across faculties such as FISIP, FKP and Medicine laughed at the death of TAS. They even made fun of him and compared his physique to content creator Kekeyi. This non-empathetic attitude sparked a wave of public anger. Many Unud students and netizens saw this action as inappropriate, especially by fellow students from a famous campus. Ironically, some of the perpetrators are actually active in student organizations. (yangs/yangs)