Six Suspects Named for Neglecting Safety Factors

Six people were named as suspects in the Kanjuruhan Tragedy. The suspects were deemed responsible for neglecting several security and safety factors at the stadium.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Indonesian National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo (center) together with PSSI Chairman Mochamad Iriawan (right) and Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali gave a press statement after visiting Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang Regency, East Java, Sunday (2/10/2022).

MALANG, KOMPAS - National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo announced that the Police have named six suspects in the Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy in Malang regency, East Java, that left 131 people dead on Saturday (1/10/2022). The suspects were deemed responsible for neglecting several security and safety factors at the stadium.

The six suspects include PT Liga Indonesia Baru director Akhmad Hadian Lukita, organizing committee head of the Arema FC match Abdul Harris, security officer Suko Sutrisno, Malang Resort Police operations head Wahyu SS, East Java police officer Adj. Comr. Hasdarman and Malang Police officer Adj. Comr. Bambang Sidik Achmadi.

Akhmad, as a top executive of the match operator, was responsible for ensuring the stadium was fully functional. He is suspected of not adequately verifying the stadium’s security for this year. It was also found that PT LIB was using verification results from 2020.

Also read:

> Audit All Stadiums Used for League Matches

> East Java Police Chief Makes Apology

Meanwhile, Abdul Harris is deemed to have been fully responsible for the incident. Abdul failed to produce the appropriate safety and security documents and ignored the police’s initial request to reduce the number of spectators. “There were 42,000 tickets sold for a stadium with the capacity of 38,000,” said Listyo on Thursday night.

Suko was named a suspect for not conducting a risk assessment for any of the matches. He also allegedly ordered the match day steward to leave the gates when the incident began. Inevitably, the stampede left many victims trampled and suffocating while trying to flee the stadium. “The steward should have been at the gates trying to open the door. In fact, the door was only left half open,” Listyo later added.

According to the results of the investigation, the Police admitted that it was irresponsible for officers to use tear gas to control the crowd. Wahyu was aware that tear gas was banned by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA). “However, he did not prevent or prohibit the use of tear gas,” said Listyo.

KOMPAS/DEFRI WERDIONO

The "Trauma Support Mobility" team that will help the victims of the Kanjuruhan Tragedy, at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang, Malang, East Java, Thursday (6/10/2022).

That was why Hasdarman and Bambang immediately instructed their officers to use tear gas in an attempt to prevent more Arema supporters from storming the field. Tear gas was also thrown into the stands, causing spectators to panic and flee.

The six suspects are deemed to have violated Articles 359 and 360 of the Criminal Code. Some were also deemed to have violated Article 103 in conjunction with Article 52 of Law No. 11/2022 concerning sports. According to Listyo, there may be more suspects.

Thorough evaluation

Separately, several parties involved in organizing football competitions emphasized their commitments to comply with existing regulations, including those from FIFA, to prevent a repeat of one of the most deadly sporting incidents. This point was made by club managers, match operators and supporters’ groups in a meeting led by Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali.

The minister explained that in the meeting, all parties agreed to conduct a thorough evaluation by aligning their visions in complying with FIFA regulations. The evaluation includes, among others, management of supporters’ groups, stadium safety facilities, operational standards for medical teams and security apparatus.

Also read:

> Sanctions for Those Who are Guilty

> Hopefully, It Will Be the Last Tragedy

According to Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) Deputy Chairman Iwan Budianto, the Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy was a lesson learned. Before the incident occurred, it was challenging for PSSI to assimilate FIFA’s regulations alongside government regulations.

“If we at least followed FIFA’s regulations, then all existing stadiums should have been equipped with single seats. That way, the committee can sell tickets in accordance to the number of seats available and document the identities of the audience. If a violation occurs, the committee would be able to quickly impose sanctions,” he said.

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.