Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian police have confirmed that non-active Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama would be summoned on Tuesday for being questioned as the suspect regarding his alleged blasphemous statements on a Quranic verse.

"The questioning session will take place at 09.00 am local time at the Indonesian Police Headquarters main building," the National Police spokesman Inspector General Boy Rafli Amar told journalists here Monday.

Amar said Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who had been named as a suspect regarding this alleged religious blasphemy case on November 16, 2016, was accused of violating Articles 156 and 156 point a of the Indonesian criminal code.

"Thus, this case has nothing to do with the violation of the Electronic Information and Transactions (UU ITE) Law," he said.

Apart from the religious blasphemy case that he has been facing, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama and his pair, non-active Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat, keep campaigning for the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial race because the Indonesian Election Commission (KPU)s regulations guarantee that.

Regarding the Basuki Tjahaja Purnama case, the Jakarta police chief Inspector General M. Iriawan called on the people not to go ahead with their plan to stage a massive rally on November 25, 2016, because Basukis legal process has been ongoing.

The people should entrust the police investigators to finish their probe into this blasphemy case, he said, adding that Basukis loyalists must also respect the legal process and the polices decision to name him as a suspect.

Basuki, who participates in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial race, has been named a suspect, regarding his alleged blasphemous statements on the Quranic verse, Al Maidah: 51, during his recent visit to Thousand Islands District.

In response to his alleged blasphemy, tens of thousands of people staged a massive peaceful rally in Indonesias capital city, Jakarta, on November 4 to demand justice.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016