East Java Police Denies Tear Gas Contains Deadly Components

The East Java Police claimed that the tear gas used at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java, after Arema FC’s match against Persebaya only caused skin and eye irritation.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Aremania prays for the victims of the Kanjuruhan Tragedy during the "Malang Blackening" demonstration in Malang City Square, East Java, Thursday (10/11/2022). Aremania who followed the demonstration also brought coffins and photos of the victims who died.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The East Java Police have denied that their tear gas contained deadly components. They claimed that the tear gas used at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java, after Arema FC’s match against Persebaya in the BRI Liga 1 Indonesia on Saturday (1/10/2022) only caused skin and eye irritation.

East Java Police criminal investigation director general Sr. Comr. Totok Suharyanto explained that the tear gas samples in Kanjuruhan had been tested for its contents at the East Java Police forensic laboratory. Additionally, witnesses from PT Pindad as the producer have been carried out as well as examinations by toxicologists.

The result showed that the tear gas contained the CS compound (2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile ii) and was not deemed a direct cause of death. This is because the pharmacological mechanism of tear gas is not classified as an affixation gas, such as carbon monoxide (CO) or chloroacetophenone (CN) gas.

“From evidence found at the crime scene, most of it contained 2-chlorobenzaldehyde and partly 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (CS). The tear gas was classified as containing non-lethal compounds but can cause irritation to the skin and eyes,” said Totok.

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Meanwhile, East Java Police public relations head Kombes Dirmanto was reluctant to answer whether the tear gas contained compounds other than CS. According to him, the question addressed the technicalities of the investigation and could only be revealed in court.

“Technical matters related to the investigation and other findings can be covered during the trial. Please understand this,” he added.

The police’s explanation conflicts with the results of testing done in two laboratories, which were obtained by Kompas and published on Thursday (10/11). The document stated that the tear gas contained other components, such as 49.6 percent O-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile, also known as CS powder.

All those compounds can trigger cancer. When exposed to gas, it will become a dangerous compound.

Other components in question include 2-chlorobenzaldehyde (36.5 percent), 0-chloro propylbenzene (11.6 percent), benzene (1.2 percent) and benzyl dichloride or p-Chlorobenzyl chloride (1.1 percent). A laboratory researcher, with the initials AKS, said these four components were toxic, flammable, caused damage to organs and under certain conditions could lead to death.

“All those compounds can trigger cancer. When exposed to gas, it will become a dangerous compound,” AKS explained.

Demands to solve the case

In Malang, thousands of Arema FC supporters, Aremania, took to the streets to demand that the case of the Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy that killed 135 people and left hundreds of others injured be solved. They marched from Gajayana Stadium to the Tugu Square area in front of Malang City Hall to commemorate the 40th day of the incident.

Protestors claimed that the legal process of the case has been lacking. Thus far, only six people have been named suspects.

“It has been very insignificant. This was illustrated when we went to the East Java High Prosecutor’s Office to ask about the reconstruction [of the incident], which did not depict how tear gas was thrown into the stands. This did not add up with the facts,” said Anjar Naswan Yusky, a member of the Aremania joint legal team for lawsuits.

DHANANG DAVID ARITONANG

A man shows a photo of tear gas shooting towards the stands on the south side of the Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, East Java, Wednesday (9/11/2022). This shooting sparked panic and until some of the audience jostled out.

Victims were unable to attend the reconstruction as it was done outside of Kanjuruhan. However, supporters do have evidence that tear gas was thrown into the stands of the crowded stadium.

Anjar suspects that certain aspects were covered up so that the legal process of the case had not been transparent.

“The East Java Police are not being serious about it. The handling of the case seems less than optimal. Yesterday, we were notified that a victim’s report was rejected. So we feel that this cannot be resolved by the regional police, but should be addressed by the National Police,” he said.

He also compared the investigation of the Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy with the alleged murder of Brigadier Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat that implicated Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo. According to him, that case was handled far better than the Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy, which claimed hundreds of lives.

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For this reason, they urged legal bodies to seriously apprehend all parties responsible for the tragedy. The protestors, who represented the victims, also demanded compensation in accordance with the compensation and restitution mechanism.

Soccer observer Fajar Junaedi, on the other hand, deemed that the results of the Kompas investigation only showed that the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) and Liga 1 operator PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB) were inept at holding competitions.

For one, he said, PSSI and LT LIB did not heed the recommendations of the police to hold the match in Kanjuruhan at noon. According to him, matches played at night heightens certain risk factors.

The use of tear gas in stadiums violates Article 19 Point (b) of the FIFA Stadium Safety and Security Regulations.

The decomposition of tear gas substances at night, for example, are slower than during the day due to humidity levels. “The use of tear gas in stadiums violates Article 19 Point (b) of the FIFA Stadium Safety and Security Regulations. This is evidence of PSSI and the league operator’s incompetence in adhering to the regulations,” said Fajar.

Regarding the accusation, PSSI general chairman Mochamad Iriawan said this party together with the government were conducting a thorough evaluation of several soccer regulations that will be synchronized with other regulations, such as stadium security. (FAI/DVD/IRE/DIA/NDY/WER/Z07).

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.