Headmaster detained after BBC investigation into alleged sexual abuse of students

What the report says

A former headmaster of an Islamic boarding school in Indonesia has been detained by police and named as a suspect after a BBC Eye investigation into alleged sexual abuse of students. The case involves Ahmad Imanuddin Sumar, known to pupils as Abah, who led the Abul Barokat school on Lombok. According to the BBC, police reopened the investigation after its report highlighted accusations and showed how former students had spent years gathering evidence and testimonies.

The BBC said the renewed case gained momentum after former students Ziadatur Rahmah and Sukma Rohana Fajar began building a file of allegations with help from another ex-classmate, Yusron Azzahidi. Their efforts led to a wider response from other former students, and police later interviewed 12 additional people who came forward with similar claims. The article says the school’s parent organisation, Nahdlatul Wathan Diniyah Islamiyah (NWDI), denied any cover-up and said it was handling the matter internally.

Abah has denied the accusations and has said he will respect the legal process. The BBC reported that he resigned from the school after the allegations became public. The case has prompted concern among parents and former students, with some families removing children from the school and others speaking out for the first time. The development matters because it shows how a media investigation can help surface allegations, encourage more witnesses to come forward, and push authorities to act in cases involving vulnerable students.