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8 Persib fans named suspects in fatal beating of Jakartan
Persib supporters forced spectators to show ID cards before the game and Haringga was reportedly beaten to death because he was from Jakarta.
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Persija Jakarta and Persib Banding players quarrel during a match at Bandung Lautan Api Stadium in the capital of West Java on Sunday. Persib won 3-2 over Persija in a game during which a Persija supporter was beaten to death outside the stadium. ANTARA FOTO/Novrian Arbi (Antara/Novrian Arbi)
T
he Bandung Police have named eight Persib Bandung supporters suspects in the fatal beating of 23-year-old Persija Jakarta fan Haringga Sirila before a Persib vs Persija match on Sunday.
“Sixteen people have been detained and eight of those have been named suspects,” Bandung Police crime unit chief Adj. Sr. Comr. M. Yoris Maulana said in Bandung, West Java, on Monday.
The suspects have been identified only as B, 41, GA, 20, CG, 20, AA, 19, SMR, 17, DFA, 16 and JS, 31.
Yoris said it was possible that more suspects would be named.
According to the police, Haringga came to Bandung alone on Sunday to watch the match and was picked up by a friend who lived in the city. When they arrived at Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium, they were confronted by a mob of Persib fans who were checking for holders of non-Bandung ID cards.
A Persib supporter who requested anonymity confirmed the details of the incident.
“When [people] arrived [at the stadium], they were stopped and asked to show their ID cards,” the supporter said. “I was allowed to pass through because I had a Bandung ID card, but the person behind me was pulled out of the line.”
Haringga, who had a Jakarta ID card, was chased by the mob and eventually surrounded.
“The victim was immediately beaten, until he died at the scene,” Yoris said. “Some [people] beat him with their hands and feet, while others used objects, such as wooden planks and helmets.”
One detainee, Dadang Suptriatna, 19, reportedly said he beat Haringga because he saw the other Persib supporters doing it.
“I was just following the others,” he said at the police station.
Police are looking for more suspects and are coordinating with the Persib club management and the Viking Persib fan club in their investigation.
“We urge anyone who was involved to immediately turn themselves in,” Yoris said, adding that the suspects had been charged under Article 170 of the Criminal Code on attacking and injuring others, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 12 years.
Viking Persib Club head Heru Joko expressed deep regret over Haringga’s death.
“We apologize for yesterday’s incident. We did not mean for that to happen, we did not order that,” he said, adding that the club supported any law enforcement action the police took. (kmt)
