Security has been tightened in Ahmedabad and at the Narendra Modi Stadium ahead of the India-Pakistan World Cup match on Saturday, with police chiefs of various units in Gujarat on “alert mode” to keep a close eye on anti-social elements and sensitive areas , to avoid any untoward incidents, officials said.
The match is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the largest cricket stadium in the world, between 2:00 PM and 10:00 PM.
More than 6,000 personnel of the Gujarat Police Force along with those of the National Guard (NSG), Rapid Action Force (RAF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) among others are deployed in the city and at the stadium located in the Motera area. Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahai said during his media briefing on Friday that the overall security setup has been divided into five key pillars – stadium and spectator security, traffic and parking arrangements, team security cricket, keep a close watch on anti-social elements and ensure that no untoward incidents take place across the state. Various police units in Gujarat have been instructed to remain on alert to keep a close watch on anti-social elements and sensitive areas to prevent any untoward incident during and after the match, an official said. Various security agencies such as Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Urban Crime Branch and Special Operations Group (SOG) have been roped in to deal with anti-social elements and terrorists, he said. Meanwhile, Gujarat Police units across the state have been ordered to be on high alert after 8 pm tomorrow as the match ends at 10 pm on Saturday. Units of the State Reserve Police (SRP) remain on “alert position” for quick deployment in case of an emergency, officials said. Four senior IPS officers and 21 officers of the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) have been sent to supervise and guide the personnel, they said.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik said that though the city had never witnessed communal violence during cricket matches played in the city in the last 20 years, security forces had been deployed at several communally sensitive areas as a precaution.
To respond to any chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) emergency during the match, teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and NDRF will also be deployed in the city. Earlier this week, the Ahmedabad crime branch arrested a man for allegedly sending an email threatening to attack the Narendra Modi Stadium. The accused had allegedly sent an email that there would be a blast at the stadium. Last month, the Gujarat police registered an FIR against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, head of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), for threatening to turn the Cricket World Cup, presented on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, into a ‘World Cup of Terror’.
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