Investigators check involvement of Dagestani power agents in beating football fan

The investigatory bodies of Dagestan check the information that local policemen could take part in beating Alexander Rumyantsev, a fan of the "Zenit" Football Club (FC) on August 19 in Makhachkala.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by the press service of the Department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) for the Frunzensky District of St Petersburg that on August 24 the 47th police station received a telephone message from the First Aid Scientific-Research Institute that a jobless resident of St Petersburg, born in 1980, was hospitalized from his home.

"Doctors have diagnosed a closed head injury, brain concussion and a closed abdominal trauma with damage to internal organs in the patient named Alexander Rumyantsev; his condition was treated as grave," said the source.

He said that the message from the hospital triggered a check: "Policemen questioned the victim and received a preliminary doctors' conclusion about the nature of injuries. According to the patient, he received his traumas on August 19 in Makhachkala, where he came to watch the 'Zenit'-'Anji' football match."

Rumyantsev said that he had been beaten by Dagestani policemen. "The victim explained that on August 19 in the city of Makhachkala, at the exit from the stadium, a few men dressed as OMON (riot police) agents took him out of the crowd of fans and beat," said a source from the police of St Petersburg.

According to his version, after the initial check, on August 30 the respective materials were sent to the MIA of Dagestan.

In his turn, a source from the Investigatory Department for Dagestan of the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the materials for making a check in place - in Dagestan - were received on September 5.

"At present, inspectors have requested from the law enforcement bodies all the materials related to the victim's application. A check is underway aimed to establish all the circumstances of the incident. A procedural decision will be made on the outcomes of the check," said the source.

Let us remind you that on August 21 Alexander Meitin, Director for Security of the Russian Football Premier League (RFPL), said that the reports about beating "Zenit" fans at the stadium were not confirmed. "The match was attended by my deputy; there were also securities of the 'Zenit' FC, policemen from St Petersburg and the official delegate of the match," said the RFPL Director for Security. "They all have unanimously stated that there was no such incident that a 'Zenit' fan could receive traumas while leaving the stadium."

In parallel, the police of St Petersburg are investigated the attack on Dagestani fans of the "Anji" FC, which took place on August 22 at the Moscow Avenue of St Petersburg.

The police have established that a group of individuals in the amount of 25-30 persons had beaten - on the grounds of "suddenly burst out personal aversions - three natives of Northern Caucasus who were hospitalized with various traumas." According to the local MIA, six residents of St Petersburg, born in 1988-1996, were detained. A criminal case against them was opened under Article 213 of the Russian Criminal Code (hooliganism). Later, two of the detainees were released as innocent in the crime.

"The police of St Petersburg have implemented a certain amount of preventive measures to avoid any future conflicts between football fans after the incident at the McDonald's cafe in Moscow Avenue," a source from the press service of the MIA of St Petersburg told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, on August 29, the Chief Department for St Petersburg and Leningrad Region of the Russian MIA held meetings with supporters and leaders of the fan club of the "Zenit" FC and the leaders of the Dagestani Diaspora in St Petersburg.

"During the meetings the parties discussed the inadmissibility of conflicts between football fans of the 'Zenit' FC and fans of other teams. Besides, officials from the above Department promised to meet again on the outcomes of the investigation into the incident at the McDonald's in Moscow Avenue," said the source.