Cuttack: Offline ticket sale for the February 9 India-England One-Day International (ODI) match at Barabati Stadium here saw thousands of fans jostling, leading to a stampede-like situation, prompting the police to resort to mild lathicharge Wednesday. As per the earlier decision, four counters were set up on the stadium premises for sale of tickets February 5 and 6.
The Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) had Tuesday decided to sell 11,080 tickets at the counters in these two days. However, all the tickets were reportedly sold out on the first day, Wednesday. People from across the state were seen crowding near the stadium since Tuesday afternoon. “Even some started queuing up.
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Police, however, dispersed them in the evening,” said an OCA official. People again began queuing up Wednesday morning. By evening, crowd control became a Herculean task for the security personnel. Some unruly fans jostled near the counters, leading to a stampede-like situation. Those who managed to get a ticket found it almost impossible to return from the counter. Police resorted to mild baton-charge and even used water cannons to bring the situation under control. Cuttack Deputy Commissioner of Police Jagmohan Meena said the situation was under control. “Police had to ‘show the lathi’ to bring the situation under control,” he said.
50-platoon force
The Commissionerate Police will deploy 50 platoons of force for smooth conduct of the ODI match between India and England at the historic Barabati Stadium in the Silver City February 9. Holding a review meeting at Police Seva Bhawan, Commissioner of Police S Dev Datta Singh said the twin city police is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the match is held smoothly. “A total of 50 platoons of force will be engaged for the upcoming ODI cricket match. Senior police officers will examine the security arrangements from time to time. The route lining for the traffic movement of players and match officials has also been prepared,” he said.
