The National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has determined the firing of tear gas by police as the main trigger for the October 1, 2022, stampede at Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang district, East Java province.

The incident claimed 135 lives.

“This has indeed been our standing point from the start. Tear gas was the main trigger for the deaths, injuries, or trauma,” a member of the commission, Choirul Anam, said at a press conference on the results of Komnas HAM’s investigation into the Kanjuruhan tragedy at the Komnas HAM Office here on Wednesday.

At least 135 people died and hundreds of others were injured or traumatized, either directly or indirectly, in the tragedy, he noted.

Tear gas can be deadly if used in certain spaces and under certain conditions, such as the firing of tear gas at Kanjuruhan Stadium, which took place in a relatively closed space that was crowded with football match spectators, he said.

He also pointed out that the firing of tear gas at spectators in the football stadium’s stands, in particular, caused many people to panic and suffocate, which led to their death.

“Shooting at the stands and so on had caused panic. From that panic, many also experienced shortness of breath and so on, while they tried to rush to the door through steep stairs. There, they fell, were injured, and died,” he added.

Earlier, Komnas HAM member Beka Ulung Hapsara said that Komnas HAM has estimated that the police fired tear gas 45 times.

“It is estimated that tear gas was fired 45 times in the stadium during this incident,” he noted.

Of the 45 total shots, 27 tear gas shots were seen in the video received by Komnas HAM and another 18 shots were confirmed by sound.

Regarding those who fired the tear gas, he said that they were a joint team of personnel drawn from the East Java Police’s Mobile Brigade and the Samapta Bhayangkara (Sabhara) police unit.

On October 14, a joint independent fact-finding team (TGIPF) established by the government submitted the results of its investigation into the Kanjuruhan tragedy to President Joko Widodo.

The team reported that the firing of tear gas by the police inside the stadium triggered the deadly stampede that killed 135 people, mostly fans of Arema FC of Malang. Among the dead were 33 children.

Source: Antara News