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Central Lombok police named Ahmad Imanuddin Sumar a suspect and took him into custody this month after reviewing testimony from 13 witnesses who came forward with claims of sexual abuse at the Abul Barokat Wannafahat Islamic boarding school. The action directly followed the broadcast of a BBC Eye Investigations report that documented how former students compiled evidence including secret audio recordings. According to the police public information officer Iptu Lalu Brata Kusnadi the suspect faces charges under child protection laws sexual violence legislation and the criminal code.
The BBC investigation highlighted the efforts of former students Ziadatur Rahmah known as Zia and Sukma Rohana Fajar who gathered accounts from multiple victims after Zia disclosed her own experience of assault at age 17. In one recorded call obtained by the BBC Sumar told a former pupil “Cover the shame of your teacher. Everyone makes mistakes my child.” Sukma told the BBC it was not about revenge but about acknowledgement adding “I’m waiting for the day when he admits that himself.”
Sumar who was also known as Abah or TGH Muhammad Imanuddin Sumar resigned from leadership of the Lombok school shortly after the allegations surfaced in September 2026. In a news conference the former headmaster denied all claims describing the recordings as attempts at clarification rather than any admission of guilt according to his statements reported by Kompas. He added that the matter was personal and should not affect the institution’s operations.
This development fits a pattern of sexual abuse cases in Indonesian Islamic boarding schools where the Mataram City Child Protection Agency has documented 23 incidents of sexual violence in pesantren across West Nusa Tenggara since 2023. LPA chairman Joko Jumadi said 10 religious teachers received prison sentences ranging from six to 19 years while two more remain in detention with additional cases still under investigation in the region. One suspect from a Central Lombok pesantren reportedly fled to Mecca last year complicating local enforcement efforts.
National data from Komnas Perempuan records 17 cases of sexual violence in pesantren between 2020 and 2024 placing such institutions second only to universities in reported education-sector gender-based violence. A separate study by the Indonesian Teachers Federation noted 101 child victims of sexual abuse in pesantren and similar schools in the first eight months of 2024 alone with boys comprising 69 percent of those affected according to the federation’s tally. Activists have repeatedly called for stricter separation of male and female dormitories and better oversight as outlined in existing Ministry of Religious Affairs guidelines.
Former students involved in the Abul Barokat case expressed relief that authorities have now acted on evidence they first tried to present in 2024. The BBC report also revealed that Sumar allegedly used a so-called repentance bath ritual as a method to approach victims promising spiritual benefits. Police confirmed the investigation remains active as they assess the full scope of the allegations against the detained former headmaster.
