Dozens injured after demonstration in Indonesia turns violent

Dozens of protesters and police were injured after a mass demonstration staged by hardliner Muslim groups in the Indonesian capital turned violent on Friday night.

Three police trucks were torched by demonstrators who refused to leave the protest site near the presidential palace after they exceeded the time limit to hold the demonstration. Many demonstrators were seen lying on the streets as the police fired tear gas to disperse them, local TV footage showed.

The demonstrators, who refused to leave the site, were disappointed with results of a meeting between their representatives with Vice President Jusuf Kalla who gave assurance of a transparent and quick legal process against Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama over his blasphemy comments on the Koran.

Coordinating Minister for the Politics, Legal and Security Wiranto and senior presidential palace officials had met with representatives of the demonstrators who handed over their petition.

"Many of those police were young ones, they were provoked by demonstrators. They were involved in brawls with demonstrators that ended up with injuries between them," Wiranto told the local TV One.

"Now the situation has calmed down thanks to religious leaders who call the demonstrators to go back home," he said.

Basuki, the incumbent governor who would run in the upcoming gubernatorial election in February next year, had apologized for his comments.

An investigation into the religious blasphemy case was underway. Endit