One of the biggest sports tragedies in history occurred on Saturday when 125 people were murdered in a stampede at a soccer stadium in Indonesia. On Monday, an impartial committee was established to investigate the incident.
The joint and independent fact-finding committee, according to Security Minister Mohamed Mahfouz, will include government representatives, football federation representatives, specialists, academics, and journalists.
After a meeting of ministers and top security officials to review the tragedy, Mahfouz said, “The team is likely to finish its job within two or three weeks.”
He continued by saying that the national police had also been given a mandate by the government to conduct an investigation into those it believed to be accountable for the tragedy and to evaluate security measures “within the next few days.”
Indonesian President Joko Widodo issued an executive order suspending the Premier League competition “Liga 1” while an investigation is conducted in response to the catastrophe that took place at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in the city of Malang on Saturday night.
After the East Java rival Persibaya Surabaya defeated the hosts Arima 3-2, hundreds of fans stormed the stadium, and the majority of the victims, according to the authorities, perished from a lack of oxygen during the stampede.
More than 300 people, some critically, were injured, according to officials.
The police chased after fans who entered the pitch, witnesses said local television, forcing them to retreat to the stands.
According to eyewitnesses, tear gas was thrown by the police into the stands, which caused supporters to stampede for the exits.
Security personnel’s deployment of tear gas prompted concerns about whether they had adhered to the correct protocols while handling a throng inside a stadium.
Human rights advocates have demanded a comprehensive probe.
Police leaders and other officers should be held responsible for their choice to fire “huge and disproportionate amounts of tear gas, which allegedly caused asphyxia, and crowds crowded towards exits where they were driven over,” said to Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. Many of them passed away.
It is significant that Indonesia will serve as the FIFA U-20 World Cup host country in 2019. The nation has also submitted an application to host the 2023 Asian Cup.
To investigate a catastrophic stampede at a soccer stadium, Indonesia organises a team
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