Anger grows against Indonesia police over deadly football stadium tragedy

Anger against police mounted in Indonesia on Monday after at least 125 people were killed in one of the deadliest disasters in the history of football, when officers fired tear gas in a packed stadium, triggering a stampede.

WATCH | At least 125 dead in Indonesia football stadium stampede

The tragedy on Saturday night in the city of Malang also saw 323 people injured.

The incident unfolded when fans of home team Arema FC stormed the pitch at the Kanjuruhan Stadium after their loss 3-2 to bitter rivals Persebaya Surabaya.

Police responded by launching volleys of tear gas into packed terraces, prompting spectators to rush en masse to small gates where many were trampled or suffocated, according to witnesses.

Police described the incident as a riot in which two officers were killed but survivors accuse them of overreacting and causing the deaths of scores of spectators, including a five-year-old boy.

"One of our messages is for the authorities to investigate this [incident] thoroughly. And we want accountability, who is to blame?" said 25-year-old Andika, who declined to give his last name.

"We want justice for our fallen supporters," he said.

Outside the Kanjuruhan stadium on Sunday evening, people held a vigil beneath the roaring lion statue - the club's symbol - to honour the victims.

But fresh graffiti daubed on the walls of the stadium revealed bubbling anger towards the authorities.

"My siblings were killed. Investigate thoroughly," read one message scrawled on the stadium's shutters, accompanied by a black ribbon and the date of the tragedy.

"ACAB", an acronym for "all cops are bastards", was sprayed on another wall.

In Jakarta, hundreds of football fans gathered outside the country's biggest stadium in Jakarta late Sunday