Should The East Java Police Chief Be Removed Regarding The Malang Village Tragedy? IPW Give An Explanation

Take Arema FC's video supporter screen to the field

JAKARTA - The polemic of shooting tear gas at the Kanjuruhan Malang Stadium against Aremania supporters continues. One of the impacts of the tragedy, Malang Police Chief AKBP Ferli Hidayat was removed from his position. However, it did not end there, a number of people from various circles and higher institutions asked National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit to remove the East Java Police Chief Inspector General Nico Afinta. Want it?

Hundreds of supporters died and were injured. Two members of the National Police also died in the Kanjuruhan tragedy. The Police's quick response at that time removed and took action against a number of officers. One of them is the removal of the Malang Police Chief AKBP Ferli Hidayat.

After the dismissal of the Malang Police Chief, AKBP Ferli Hidayat, a call emerged from various circles asking the National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit to remove the East Java Police Chief Inspector General Nico Afinta.

The call also came from a number of students in Surabaya who held a demonstration demanding the removal of the East Java Police Chief from his position, because Nico was considered the most responsible person for the tragedy at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang.

More than that, requests for removal also emerged from members of the DPR from the Gerindra faction, Fadli Zon. Fadli emphasized that there must be parties responsible for the tragedy of Kanjuruhan which claimed hundreds of lives.

Responding to the polemic, the Chairman of the Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) Sugeng Teguh Santoso also spoke up again. According to Sugeng, the request for the removal of the East Java Police Chief, Inspector General Nico Afinta, was not appropriate.

"According to IPW, the request for the removal of the East Java Police Chief, Inspector General Nico Afinta, is not proportional. Because the aspect of responsibility for command is 2 levels up, according to IPW, it must still be associated with orders or directions from the leadership in field implementers," explained IPW Chairman Sugeng Teguh Santoso when confirmed by VOI, Thursday, October 6.

The order or direction of the leadership at the field implementer, continued Sugeng, is interpreted as an order to act or not to do something that violates procedures. In this case, the shooting of tear gas in the stadium.

"The Malang Police Chief himself as the person in charge of regional security stated that there was no order to shoot tear gas. Therefore, the responsibility was cut off at the Police Chief (AKBP Ferli Hidayat) level," he said.

As is known, the aftermath of the riots between supporters and security forces that occurred at the Kanjuruhan Malang Stadium on Saturday, October 1, also dragged the removal of a number of members of the Police.

National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo also deactivated Malang Police Chief AKBP Ferli Hidayat. The mutation was stated in the telegram number ST/2098/X/KEP/2022. In addition, the East Java Police Chief Inspector General Nico Afinta also disabled nine Brimob commanders following the tragedy.

It is known that as many as 35 witnesses from internal members of the National Police and externalities have been examined by investigators from the National Police Headquarters. Irwasum and Propam have also examined 31 members of the National Police.