Indonesian police say Berdendang Bergoyang organisers could face charges of negligence

Indonesian police have reportedly identified two people who could face charges for the recent overcrowding incident at the Jakarta music festival Berdendang Bergoyang  that resulted in injuries and attendees fainting.

The three-day Berdendang Bergoyang event was shut down by police on its second day (October 29) after more than 20,000 attendees packed into the 10,000-capacity Istora Senayan stadium, which allegedly led to injuries. 

Tempo reported that as many as 27,879 tickets were sold for the event and though organisers had only applied for a 3,000-capacity event, they were given a permit for a capacity of 5,000.

Following the shutdown of the event, local authorities announced they were investigating whether the organisers intended to sell passes that exceed what was granted in their permit.

Tribun News has since reported that Central Jakarta Metro Police Chief Kombes Pol Komarudin has identified two individuals who could face charges for the incident. An individual with the initials HA who was the event’s guarantor, and another individual with the initials DP who reports claim is event organiser Emvrio’s Event Company Director have been identified as culpable parties by the police investigations as of November 5.

“We have examined 20 witnesses, mostly from the management side,” the police chief revealed, adding that the two individuals could face charges of negligence leading to injury under Article 360 Paragraph (2) of the Criminal Code, and may also be culpable under Article 93 of Law Number 6 of the 2018 quarantine health law. The negligence charge carries a possible nine-month prison sentence, while breaking quarantine health laws could net the individuals a IDR100,000,000 fine.

The two individuals have not yet been arrested as the investigation is ongoing. NME has contacted Emvrio Pro for comment.

The Berdendang Bergoyang incident is said to have had a chilling effect on the Indonesian live music scene. Last week, concert organiser body Asosiasi Promotor Musik Indonesia (APMI) claimed that it is uncertain whether concerts and music festivals planned for Indonesia until the end of the year can secure permits. Major festivals such as Soundrenaline, Head In The Clouds and Djakarta Warehouse Party were identified as  events at risk of being cancelled.

APMI secretary general Emil Mahyudin said the association is currently in discussions with the authorities on behalf of the three events, as well as other smaller events that have been scheduled for November and December.

“The wildest issue is that all events may not be held until December 2022, then maybe we can only go ahead with them in 2023. Now without downplaying other scheduled events, if all events are not allowed in 2022 we will lose the three big events, Soundrenaline, HITC, DWP, and well, that’s not good for us,” he shared.

Last weekend, K-pop group NCT 127’s November 4 concert at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) centre was stopped early after 30 fans fainted in the pushing crowd. The concert reportedly went ahead with heightened security in response to a bomb threat, which police investigated before the show, and safety measures implemented to prevent a possible repeat of the Berdendang Bergoyang incident.

However, NCT 127 became alerted to danger in the crowd while performing the song ‘Paradise’, with Taeyung and Doyoung stopping the song and calling for fans to stay calm and “spread out”. The show ultimately had to be stopped early for safety reasons, said its promoter in an official statement.

Their second concert on November 5 went ahead as scheduled, with additional paramedics and security personnel deployed for the second date.

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