Cricket league amid pandemic, 51 arrested from ground

Greater Noida: The day did end with the bails coming off. But that was at the police station, not the cricket ground.
Fifty-one people who had arrived at a ground in Knowledge Park III to take part in what police said was a ‘corporate league’ found themselves fending off bouncers on a sticky wicket when police arrived and charged them with violation of prohibitory orders that are in place because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
All of them were subsequently arrested; probably the most in a single swoop since the lockdown was imposed.
The cops interrupted proceedings at a ground next to an engineering college while a game was on. Police said the corporate league was organised by two Delhi residents, Deepak Agarwal and Nagik Khurana and matches had been scheduled over the next seven days. Among those arrested were players from Chandigarh and Haryana. Police raided the ground around 2pm. All the players were put in a bus and taken to Knowledge Park police station.
A police officer said they had a tip-off that over 100 people had assembled at the spot. “As we reached, many of them fled. But we managed to catch the organisers and the participants,” said Rajesh Kumar Singh, DCP (zone 3). “Section 144 is imposed in the city banning all unapproved gatherings of more than 4 people due to the risk of the virus spreading. The accused, however, had matches planned for the next seven days. Moreover, they were not wearing masks and had gathered without permission,” Singh added.
An FIR was filed against them under Section 188 (disobedience of order promulgated by public servant), 269 and 270 (act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the IPC. “Around 17 bikes and cars in which they had arrived at the spot were also impounded. They were released after signing personal bonds,” Singh added.