The accident at the football stadium over the weekend claimed 131 lives, and six persons have been prosecuted, according to Indonesia's police head on Thursday.
National police head Listyo Sigit Prabowo stated at a press conference that "six suspects have been identified based on the investigation and adequate evidence."
Three police officers and three individuals in charge of the game's security, including the chairman of Arema FC's organising committee and one of the club's security officers, are among the six people accused of negligence resulting in death, he said.
According to him, two of the police officers under investigation gave orders for their colleagues to use tear gas.
He claimed that despite being aware of FIFA safety rules prohibiting the use of crowd control gas at pitchside, the third police officer under investigation did not stop his colleagues from using tear gas.
If proven guilty, the suspects could receive a maximum term of five years in prison. More persons may face charges, according to Prabowo.
The head of the Arema FC organising committee and a security officer had already been permanently barred from football by the Indonesian Football Association.
As resentment over the police response to a pitch invasion increased, the announcement was made.
After Arema FC's Saturday night loss to arch rivals Persebaya Surabaya, fans sought to approach players. Officers reacted by blasting tear gas into the crowded stands.
The police chief said 11 officers in total fired tear gas “to prevent more spectators from taking to the field” but caused spectators “to panic and… try to immediately leave the arena.”
They fired eight canisters into the stands and three onto the pitch, according to the police investigation.
– ‘Not opened completely’ –
Hundreds of people fled for small exits, resulting in a crush that left many trampled or suffocating to death. Witnesses said the gates were closed.Prabowo said the “doors were not opened completely…and the stewards were not in place” when the match ended.
In the crash, “most of the dead victims suffered from asphyxia”.
League organiser PT LIB also “did not verify” the safety of the stadium since 2020 and the organising committee of Arema FC “did not prepare an emergency plan”, he said.
Police described the pitch invasion as a riot and said two officers were killed, but survivors accused them of overreacting.
Officers responded with force, kicking and hitting fans with batons, according to witnesses and footage, pushing the spectators back into the stands where many would die after tear gas was fired.
Several witnesses said police stood by and refused to help victims.
Instead, bystanders rushed to help.
– ‘Negligence’ –
Kiosk owner Edy Tanto said he saw people begin to pour out of the stadium when chaos erupted.He rushed to provide water from his shop to victims whose eyes were stung with the tear gas, which witnesses said police had fired into the stands.
“I couldn’t think straight,” Tanto told AFP as he sat cross-legged on the floor of his shop.
“I just thought of helping them.”
Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced an investigation after the tragedy and called for a safety review of all stadiums.
The Malang police chief was replaced Monday, nine officers were suspended and 19 others were put under investigation, according to police.
But organisers of the match and club officials have also been blamed for the chaos.
Indonesia’s football association also moved Tuesday to sanction Arema FC, fining the club 250 million rupiahs ($16,420) on top of the life bans for two of its officials.
Maike Ira Puspita, the association’s deputy secretary-general, told AFP it had imposed sanctions on the club and its officials “due to the… negligence of the whole situation”.
The association has declined to comment on the police response to a pitch invasion, which has come under increasing fire since the tragedy unfolded.
The Indonesian government has suspended the country’s national football league until the investigation concludes.