Ivorian police have detained 12 people as part of an investigation into the desecration of DJ Arafat’s tomb after fans opened the musician’s coffin to take pictures of him shortly after his burial.
The incident took place on Saturday (31.09.19) following an overnight funeral concert at Abidjan’s main stadium, where tens of thousands paid tribute to the singer.
Events took a dark turn when fans tried to enter the Williamsville cemetery where the singer’s family had given him a private burial, prompting clashes with police. Several made it past security, forced open the fresh grave and coffin, and took photos and videos they then shared on social media.
Police fired teargas to disperse the crowd and several people were injured, witnesses, The Guardian reported. News reports confirm that 12 people had been detained following the incident.
As reported by The Sauce in August, the renowned artist was admitted to a hospital in Abidjan, with a fractured skull after his motorcycle collided with a car on Sunday then the 33-year-old unfortunately died early on Monday (12.08.19).
DJ Arafat, whose real name was Ange Didier Houon, was one of the most popular African musicians in the francophone world and had been called the king of coupe-decale (cut and run), an Ivorian form of dance music.
