Police, Intelligence ensure the IPL show must go on!
Timely intervention by the Chennai Police based on Intelligence inputs by the State and Central agencies ensured that the first match of this season’s IPL tournament in the metropolis began as per schedule though there were apprehensions till the last moment about the match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). At the time of going to Press, the match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders was progressing smoothly.
However, two miscreants were also detained by police for hurling a shoe at Indian player Ravindra Jadeja during the IPL match.
The incident happened in the eighth over of the KKR innings. The unidentified protesters hurled shoes at Jadeja, who was stationed at long-on. The footwear missed the player fell near the boundary
rope as CSK team members Du Plessis and Lungi Ngidi were taking a stroll.
Police had to resort to mild lathi-charge to disperse unruly protesters who had managed to gather in front of the stadium after breaking police barricades. They were protesting over the failure of the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) within six weeks as per the Supreme Court’s February 16 verdict.
The pro-Tamil outfit Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) had even threatened that they will let loose snakes inside the stadium if the CSK team plays against Kolkata Knight Riders.
What stood out on Tuesday was the similarity between the pro-Jallikattu demonstration held in Marina Beach in January 2017 and the stand-off one saw at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
The venue of the IPL match was turned into fortress by the Chennai Police. Thousands of cops and senior officers have thrown a security blanket around the stadium. All roads leading to the
stadium were brought under surveillance since Monday evening itself.
More than 50 activists of the TVK were taken into custody by police when they tried to sneak into the stadium on Tuesday morning. They were carrying black flags. Some of them disrupted traffic at the busy Anna Salai-Chepauk road junction in the evening. Besides TVK cadre, activists propped up by Tamil chauvinistic groups, Left wing extremists and Islamic outfits had gathered in large numbers to show their resentment over the failure of the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board.
Many film personalities led by Bharati Raja, movie maker of yesteryears, too had turned up to protest.
Monday’s Press meet by T Velmurugan, leader of the TVK, had raised some fears about the safety and security of the players of Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.
The Chennai Police had made elaborate security arrangements under the direct supervision of Additional Commissioner of Police MC Sarangan. Three joint commissioners and 13 deputy police commissioners led the team of about 4,000 personnel, including city police, armed reserve and elite commando groups.