A riot broke out in front of the national legislative complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday when police clashed with thousands of university students who had been gathering in the area since Monday morning to demand that the House of Representatives halt deliberations on revisions to the Criminal Code Law and the Law on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

More than 18,000 police officers and dozens of anti-riot vehicles were deployed to maintain order and prevent a repeat of the events that brought down former President Suharto's New Order regime in 1998.

Protestors blocked the Inner-City Toll Road and climbed on road barriers. Graffiti critical of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo was also sprayed on walls and buildings in the area.

The situation became heated when demonstrators tried to scale the fence surrounding the legislative complex. Police used water cannons and tear gas to force them to back down. The crowd later split up into two groups, moving to the Palmerah and Slipi areas in West Jakarta.