Malang Raya Community Commemorates Fourth Anniversary of Kanjuruhan Tragedy

Malang, East Java — Communities in Malang Raya (Malang City, Batu City, and Malang Regency) held joint prayer services to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Kanjuruhan Tragedy at the Kanjuruhan Stadium area, Malang Regency, East Java, on Thursday.

The Secretary of the Kanjuruhan Tragedy Justice Foundation (YKTK), Cholifatul Nur, stated at Kanjuruhan Stadium that the organised prayer session is part of an effort to preserve the collective memory of the dark incident that occurred at the stadium on 1 October 2022.

She noted that the series of events began in the afternoon, starting with the completion of Al-Quran recitations (khataman), with a temporary pause for Maghrib prayers. Following this, the attendees recited shalawat, followed by a religious sermon (tausiyah). The event was open to the public with no limit on the number of participants.

Through this fourth-anniversary commemoration, the foundation continues to voice demands regarding the pursuit of justice. They expressed hope that this tragic incident serves as a powerful historical lesson.

“The regional leadership coordination forum (Forkopimda) participated; we intentionally invited them so they may understand the experiences of the victims’ families,” she said.

Meanwhile, Minsai’in, a member of one of the victims’ families, expressed that hope remains for fair and impartial law enforcement. “What we are waiting for is justice to be upheld; regardless of who the person is or what their profession may be, everyone must be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the prevailing laws in Indonesia,” he said.

Prayers from the community did not only echo at Kanjuruhan Stadium; similar activities were held at Alun-Alun Tugu in Malang City in the afternoon. Members of the community present offered prayers for the 135 victims. In the evening, they also lit candles in a corner of the area as a symbol of mourning for the tragedy.