Oto Iskandar di Nata (
Sundanese: , also spelled Otto Iskandardinata, called Otista and nicknamed Si Jalak Harupat; born 31 March 1897 – disappeared 19 December 1945,
retrospectively declared dead 20 December 1945) was an Indonesian politician and
National Hero.
Work
In his activities during the period before independence, Oto served as Deputy Chairperson of the
Bandung
Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...
branch of
Budi Utomo
Budi Utomo ( old spelling: ''Boedi Oetomo'', meaning "Noble Endeavour") was an early native nationalist political society in the Dutch East Indies. The organization's founding in 1908 is considered instrumental to the beginning of the Indonesian ...
between 1921 and 1924, as well as Deputy Chairperson at the Pekalongan branch of Budi Utomo in 1924. At that time, he became a member of Pekalongan's Gemeenteraad (City Council) representing Budi Utomo.
Oto was also active in the
Sundanese cultural organization
Paguyuban Pasundan. He became Secretary of the Executive Board in 1928 and became chairman between 1929 and 1942. The organization engaged in education, socio-cultural, political, economic, youth and women's empowerment.
Oto also became a member of the
Volksraad (People's Council), equivalent to the present-day
national DPR, between 1930 and 1941.
During the
Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies
The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945.
In May 1940, Germany German invasion of the Netherlands, occupied the Netherlands, and ma ...
, he became the head of the Tjahaja newspaper. He was also appointed to the Javanese
Central Advisory Council, set up the occupation government, and later became a member of the
Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence
The Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (, abbreviated as BPUPK; , Hepburn: , Nihon-shiki / Kunrei-shiki: ), sometimes referred to, but better known locally, as the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Indo ...
(BPUPK) and the
Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence
The Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (, abbreviated as PPKI; , Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ) was a body established on 7 August 1945 to prepare for the transfer of authority from the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indie ...
(PPKI) formed by the Japanese
Sixteenth Army to help prepare for Java's independence.
Disappearance
Based on witness information, Oto is believed to have been murdered on a beach in
Mauk District,
Tangerang Regency
Tangerang Regency is a Regency (Indonesia), regency (''kabupaten'') of Banten Province, Indonesia. It is located in the northwest of the island of Java. Though commonly misunderstood as being a part of Jakarta, Tangerang is actually outside Jakart ...
in
Banten
Banten (, , Pegon alphabet, Pegon: بنتن) is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang and its largest city is Tangerang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capi ...
(formerly
West Java
West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...
). He was abducted by a group called Laskar Hitam (Black Warriors), who killed him and dumped his body into the sea; the body was never found.
In 1959 a policeman was charged and convicted of the murder. The prosecutor who located the policeman asked to investigate further to determine the larger political objectives and members of Laskar Hitam, but this request was not heeded, so the true circumstances of his murder remain unclear.
Aftermath and legacy

On 21 December 1952, his funeral was held ''in absentia''. His body was replaced by sand and water taken from the beach and interred in a cemetery in
Lembang
Lembang is a town and administrative village of West Bandung Regency in the province of Jawa Barat, West Java in Java (island), Java, Indonesia. The town has about 17,000 inhabitants (at census 2010). The population of the Lembang District was 17 ...
, now of
West Bandung Regency
West Bandung Regency () is a landlocked regency of West Java Province of Indonesia. It was established on 2 January 2007, after having been formerly part of Bandung Regency. The capital of this new regency is Ngamprah, an industrial district on ...
. He was designated as a
National Hero of Indonesia
National Hero of Indonesia () is the highest-level Orders, decorations, and medals of Indonesia, title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual de ...
on 6 November 1973, thus
legally declaring him dead, as the title is awarded posthumously.
His image appears on the 2004–2016 series of the 20,000
Indonesian rupiah
The rupiah (Currency symbol, symbol: Rp; ISO 4217, currency code: IDR) is the official currency of Indonesia, issued and controlled by Bank Indonesia. Its name is derived from the Sanskrit word for silver, (). Sometimes, Indonesians also inform ...
note. His name is now used as
a street name in various cities in Indonesia in different formats; Otto Iskandardinata, Otto Iskandar Dinata, Otista, and ''Jalak Harupat'', after a mythical rooster. It is used as a name for
Jalak Harupat Stadium, located in
his hometown.
He had twelve children. One, Ratnati Soertiasih (1939–1998
), was briefly an exchange student in the United States.
See also
*
List of kidnappings
The following is a list of kidnappings summarizing the events of each case, including instances of celebrity abductions, claimed hoaxes, suspected kidnappings, extradition abductions, and mass kidnappings.
By date
* List of kidnappings befo ...
*
List of people who disappeared
*
List of unsolved murders
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nata, Oto Iskandar Di
1897 births
1940s missing person cases
1945 deaths
BPUPK
Indonesian activists
Kidnapped politicians
Indonesian murder victims
Members of the Central Advisory Council
Members of the Volksraad (Dutch East Indies)
Missing person cases in Indonesia
National Heroes of Indonesia
People declared dead in absentia
People from Bandung Regency
People murdered in Indonesia
PPKI
Prime ministers of Indonesia
Sundanese people
Unsolved murders in Indonesia