Key facts
- Former headmaster Ahmad Imanuddin Sumar has been named a suspect in a sexual abuse investigation.
- Police have detained Sumar following a BBC Eye investigation.
- The allegations concern abuse at the Abul Barokat Islamic boarding school on Lombok, Indonesia.
- At least 12 former students have given testimony to police.
- Sumar allegedly attempted to silence accusers, including by asking them to "cover the shame of your teacher."
- NWDI, the organization that ran the school, denied trying to cover up the allegations.
A former headmaster of an Islamic boarding school in Indonesia has been detained by police and named a suspect following a BBC Eye investigation into alleged sexual abuse of students. Ahmad Imanuddin Sumar, known to students as Abah, led the Abul Barokat boarding school on the island of Lombok.
The BBC investigation, conducted by BBC Eye Investigations and BBC Indonesia, highlighted allegations from former students, including Ziadatur Rahmah (Zia) and Sukma Rohana Fajar. Zia alleged that Sumar had sexually assaulted her when she was 17, while Sukma claims he attempted to rape her.
Evidence compiled by former students, including secretly recorded conversations where Sumar allegedly pleaded for silence and asked them to "cover the shame of your teacher," was shared with the BBC. Sumar later held a press conference denying the allegations, though he did not dispute the authenticity of the recordings. His wife, in a secret recording, reportedly told Sukma that a signed statement disavowing the allegations was intended to protect "her good name."
Following the publication of the BBC report, parents began withdrawing their children from the school, and more than a dozen additional former students came forward with their own allegations. Police have interviewed the accusers and officially named Sumar a suspect. He has since resigned from his position at the school and stated he will respect the legal process.