Warning: This summary contains references to sexual assault. Former students of Abu Barokat pesantren in Lombok accuse head teacher Ahmad Imanuddin Sumar ("Abah") of sexually abusing multiple pupils. Survivors collected testimonies and secret recordings in which Abah allegedly admitted abuse and pressured victims to stay silent; one victim filed a police complaint but says authorities have not taken decisive action. The campaign for justice brought activists Yusron and Ziadatur closer — Yusron moved to Cairo and they recently married — while lawyers say the evidence and dozens of similar cases point to a wider problem in regional boarding schools.
We Exposed Our Abusive Head Teacher — Recorded Confessions, A Police Case, And A Marriage Born From the Fight for Justice
Zia and Yusron were both star pupils at a boarding school in Lombok [BBC]
Warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault.
The voice on the phone made Yusron Azzahidi's stomach lurch. He had called his sister after an urgent text, but the person who answered was not her — it was his former head teacher, Ahmad Imanuddin Sumar, known to students as "Abah," calling from Yusron's family home.
Yusron, photographed here at boarding school, had always looked up to his head teacher [Yusron Azzahidi]
Abah was the respected leader of the Abu Barokat Islamic boarding school (pesantren) on Lombok and cultivated a paternal image. The call followed a growing investigation by former pupils who say Abah sexually abused multiple students; the school and its overseeing body, Nahdlatul Wathan Diniyah Islamiyah (NWDI), have been implicated by survivors as exerting pressure to silence allegations.
Gathering Testimony and Secret Recordings
A year earlier, former classmates had begun sharing memories. Ziadatur Rahmah ("Zia"), then studying in Cairo, told Yusron she had been assaulted at 16 by Abah after leaving class to use the toilet. She described being intercepted in the school gardens, taken to Abah's on-site house, and subjected to unwanted kissing and touching before escaping when one of Abah's children banged on the locked door.
Sukma says Abah tried to rape her [BBC]
Disturbed, Yusron — then a student in Jakarta — encouraged Zia and other former pupils, including Wanda Hamidah and Mahima Eka, to collect corroborating accounts. As they compared notes in WhatsApp groups and spoke to old classmates, further allegations surfaced. One testimony came from a friend who remembered seeing a younger girl crying in the school bathroom late at night while Abah, flushed and breathless, searched for her.
That girl, still at the school, was Sukma Rohana. Sukma told the BBC she was 17 when Abah invited her to New Year's prayers, then allegedly covered her mouth, told her to lie down, stripped below the waist, groped her over her underwear and attempted to rape her. She says she kicked him, fled, and later saw his torch scanning for her as she ran.
Ahmad Imanuddin Sumar, known to his students as "Abah", asked Zia and Sukma to keep their experiences quiet [Abu Barokat Facebook]
Yusron meticulously documented these accounts and compiled a seven-page file describing the alleged abuse of Sukma, Zia and four other former students. He and the group also recorded several phone calls in which Abah reportedly pleaded for silence and suggested cover stories. In one recording he says, "If this is leaked to the media… I'll be destroyed." In another call to Zia he is heard admitting the abuse while begging her to stay quiet.
Pressure To Withdraw Allegations
The survivors describe sustained pressure from multiple directions. Sukma says she was summoned to Abah's house and confronted by two police officers and an NWDI lawyer who asked her to sign a statement retracting her claims; she later made a secret recording of a confrontation with Abah's wife, Hurmiati, who warned her that breaking the "agreement" could haunt her and harm her marriage prospects.
Zia and Yusron in Cairo - they say they built trust in each other through their ordeal [BBC]
The students also say NWDI representatives were initially receptive when they met to discuss bringing the case to police, but three weeks later the group's documents had apparently been passed to Abah, who then phoned victims and their families. Yusron — worried about his mother's health after the ordeal — temporarily paused his investigation.
From Advocacy To Legal Action
Eight months later the group found renewed resolve after connecting with a grassroots campaigner, Ayu Masruroh, who raises awareness about abuse in pesantren. With Ayu's help they secured an experienced lawyer for sexual abuse survivors. Their counsel advised that Sukma's case offered the clearest path toward prosecution, and she filed a police complaint in February last year. Survivors say that, to date, no decisive action has been taken by police and Abah remains in his post.
NWDI told reporters it is conducting an internal investigation and denied attempts to cover up allegations, saying the organisation has a duty to safeguard its reputation. Abah and his wife did not respond to requests for comment.
Personal Consequences And An Unlikely Bond
The campaign had a profound personal impact on the activists. Over three years of messaging and phone calls, the shared struggle deepened the relationship between Yusron and Zia. Seeking distance from the pressure in Jakarta, Yusron moved to Cairo last February to be with Zia. The couple say their mutual trust grew from their joint pursuit of justice; they married last month.
Their lawyer, Joko Jumadi, praised the students' careful documentation and the secret recordings, calling them vital evidence that capture both admissions and real-time pressure to remain silent. Joko's team has handled about 20 pesantren sexual abuse cases in West Nusa Tenggara province over three years and believes these prosecutions are "just the tip of the iceberg." Survivors and advocates continue to press for transparent legal action and institutional reform.
If you are in the UK and affected by sexual abuse or violence, support and information are available via the BBC Action Line.
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