Parents file police complaint over free meal illnesses in North Sumatra

Karo, Indonesia. Sixty parents have filed a police complaint after children fell ill following the consumption of free meals funded by the Indonesian government, in the first legal challenge to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship programme.

At least 300 students at several high schools in the Karo region of North Sumatra became ill in mid-August, with some requiring hospital treatment, according to Fitri Sijabat, the mother representing the complainants.

Complaint filed

The complaint was filed on August 31 and shared with the media on Thursday. It calls for an investigation into alleged negligence, the identification of suspects, criminal charges and financial compensation, parents’ lawyer Aslia Sijabat said.

The complaint targets the National Nutrition Agency, which oversees the programme, as well as the kitchen that prepared the meals and the schools that distributed them.

No specific individual has been named and no particular criminal provision was cited, Aslia said.

Programme concerns

The complaint adds to concerns over a scheme that has faced allegations of mismanagement and corruption, as well as more than 50,000 reported cases of food poisoning.

The programme aims to provide free meals to 83 million schoolchildren and pregnant mothers across Indonesia’s archipelago.

“No suspects have been named in similar incidents in other regions, which has created a sense of impunity for them,” Aslia said.

Police and the National Nutrition Agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Further legal action planned

The parents are also preparing a separate lawsuit against the government, which they plan to file with a district court, Aslia said. He did not provide a date for the filing.