INDONESIA — Indonesia National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo has announced that six suspects have been identified for their involvement in the deadly Kanjuruhan football stampede that claimed more than 130 lives on 1 October.
Listyo also confirmed that 11 personnel fired tear gas in Malang Kanjuruhan Stadium as fans stormed the pitch after the East Java Derby match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya last Saturday, where the match ended with a victory for the visiting side.
He further outlined that tear gas was shot into the south tribune seven times, one shot into the north stand, and three shots into the field.
“This caused spectators, especially in the stands, to panic and tried to leave the arena,” said Listyo. “Many then suffered broken bones, trauma, fractured heads, and some died of asphyxia,”
East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa on Tuesday (4 Oct) announced that the death toll of the mass stampede had increased to 131 from the initial count of 125.
The six suspects identified by the Indonesian police include; a security officer, three police officers, an organizing committee, and the head of PT Liga Indonesia Baru (PT LIB) — the operator of the soccer competition.
Listyo shared that one of the police officers — Head of the Operational Division at Malang Police — knew that the use of tear gas is prohibited as contained in FIFA Stadium Safety and Security Regulation Article 19 point B. However, the dismissed officer did not prevent the use of tear gas to dispel the riots after the match.
While Akhmad Hadian Lukita, Director of PT LIB, was guilty of not verifying the safety standard of Kanjuruhan Stadium. The most recent verification was conducted in 2020.
The organizing committee Abdul Haris was named a suspect for ignoring safety after selling the derby tickets exceeding the stadium’s capacity. The capacity of Kanjuruhan was 38,000 seats. However, the number of tickets sold hit 42,000.
Listyo stated that the security officer named Suko Sutrisno was a suspect for allegedly ordering stewards to leave the location, making tens of thousands of supporters being trapped in at the locked doors while trying to avoid the tear gas thrown by the police.
Stewards in soccer (or marshals) must stand by during the match. Some of their duties include handling, preventing overcrowding and ensuring all supporters can enjoy a game safely.
Richard Achmad Supriyanto, Head of the Indonesian Supporters’ Communication Forum (FKSI), told TOC that normally, a pitch coordinator from the playing team’s supporter association had to be deployed to avoid tensions with police officers.
“However, I am not sure that there was a pitch coordinator during the East Java derby,” he stated.
The riot occurred when numerous Arema fans invaded the pitch to express their disappointment at their team’s first loss at home. The police reacted by firing tear gas over the tribune stand, causing panic and stampede as supporters tried to leave the stadium.
Persebaya supporters were banned from travelling to Malang to watch the derby due to security reasons, disputing supposed misinformation reported by several foreign outlets such as ESPN and Bleacher Report that supporters’ clash triggered the chaos.
According to the Head of the Public Relations Division at National Police Insp. General Dedy Prasetyo, as many as 31 police officers had been questioned as of 6 October.
On 3 October, the Malang Police Chief and nine members of the elite force (Brimbob) were discharged due to the tragic incident.
Listyo had earlier been instructed by President Joko Widodo to conduct a thorough investigation on 2 October.
The Indonesian government has also established a fact-finding team (TGPF) to probe the tragedy. The team comprises football experts, former football stars, academicians, and government representatives. Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, leads the team.
