The Indonesian police chief has on Thursday made the confirmation that up to six people have been charged over a recent football stadium disaster which had led to the death of 131 people during the weekend.
“Based on the investigation and sufficient evidence, we have determined six suspects,” national police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo told a press conference.
The six people have also been reportedly charged with core negligence in their duties which had led to the death of three police officers and three people responsible for the match and its security, including the head of Arema FC’s organising committee and one of the club’s security officers, he said.
Two of the police officers under investigation had also ordered some of their colleagues to fire tear gas, he said and the third police officer under investigation had also know about FIFA’s safety regulations that prohibit the use of crowd control gas at pitchside but did not prevent tear gas being used by colleagues, he said.
The suspects face a maximum sentence of five years in prison if found guilty. Prabowo said more people could be charged.
In another report, some of the elite Indonesian police officers have come under serious fire and investigations on Tuesday over a stadium stampede which had led to the death of about 131 people which also includes dozens of children in one of the deadliest disasters which has ever occurred in football history.
It has also been revealed that as public anger grows, the police has moved to punish those who are responsible for the crush in the city of Malang that witnesses say started when officers fired some canisters of tear gas into packed stands to quell a pitch invasion.
“As the regional police chief, I am concerned, saddened and at the same time I am sorry for the shortcomings in the security process,” East Java police chief Nico Afinta told a press conference Tuesday.
The terraces of the Kanjuruhan stadium had been packed on Saturday evening with 42,000 “Aremania”, or Arema FC fans, for a match against their fierce rivals Persebaya Surabaya.
But after a 3-2 defeat, the first home loss for more than two decades to their adversaries some fans had streamed down to the pitch to confront players and management.
