Gilang, a student from Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java was expelled from the school after allegations went public that multiple people had been tricked into performing bondage mummification. The student told the victims that their activities were part of the research he needed to complete his thesis.
One couple received instructions to take turns covering each other’s bodies with duct tape, including their mouths and eyes. Then they were told to cover each other in a traditional Javanese cloth, known as a jarik. As part of the process, they were to record themselves and send in the footage to Gilang.
An anonymous victim alleged that Gilang stripped them naked, wrapped them in a cloth, and then assaulted them. Another said they were drugged, their body covered in a blanket, and they were groped. The University took action against Gilang after victims took their stories to Twitter.
Bondage mummification is a form of kink play that involves wrapping the body (often tightly) in a variety of materials. This can be done to play with sensory deprivation, an inability to move, or for other purposes. But as with all forms of kink and BDSM, it must be practiced safely and with full consent — which was clearly lacking in the scenarios described by the victims.
