Protest against IPL: Teams enter stadium through back gate, massive police deployment at Chepauk

Massive police deployment, of over 4,000 personnel, and other security arrangements were made on Tuesday (April 10) evening outside Chepauk stadium in Chennai to ensure that IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders is held, amid raging protests by Tamil groups over Cauvery issue.

The teams had to enter the MA Chidambaram stadium through the back gate as the complex turned into a fortress with the deployment of hundreds of police personnel, reported Hindustan Times. Earlier in the day, several members of the TVK, who tried to stage a protest over the Cauvery water-sharing issue outside the MA Chidambaram stadium, were arrested.

The Chennai Police issued the Public Resort Licence (PRL) to the organisers. Around 4,000 policemen have been deployed for security. A four-tier security ring has been put in place in and around the MA Chidambaram stadium as the IPL authorities engaged hundreds of private security guards and volunteers amidst fears that protesters demanding the formation of the Cauvery Management Board might disrupt the match.

Being held in Chennai after a gap of almost three years, tickets have been sold out for the match. Seven Indian Premier League matches are scheduled to be held in Chennai between 10 April and 20 May.

Flags and banners have been banned, with commandos and Rapid Action Force personnel forming part of the security for the tie.

Spectators would not be allowed to carry firecrackers, inflammable materials and firearms, besides bags, brief-cases, pagers, radios, digital diaries, laptops, computers, tape-recorders, binoculars, remote control devices, remote control car-keys or any other electronic devices, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association said in a release.

The Tamil Nadu government, on its part, put the onus on the IPL governing body for conducting the matches.

Political parties and outfits have been demanding that IPL matches not be held at this time, saying the state is witnessing widespread agitations on the vexed issue.

Though the protests have been mostly confined to roads and railway lines so far, there is a strong possibility that some of them might try and take it into the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, which is hosting CSK's first home match against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Though the protests have been mostly confined to roads and railway lines so far, there is a strong possibility that some of them might try and take it into the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, which is hosting CSK's first home match against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Meanwhile, KKR new captain and the local boy from Chennai Dinesh Karthik feels sad about the high-security protection in Chennai. However, it remains to be seen how the protest will take turn ahead of the match.

In 2016, the police prevented fans wearing a black shirt to enter the venue, as they had received information that some might use it to protest over the Jalikattu issue, which was receiving similar attention as Cauvery.

On February 16, the Supreme Court raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu's share while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin.

The court had granted six weeks time to the Centre to formulate a scheme to ensure compliance with its 465-page judgement on the decades-old Cauvery dispute, which modified the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award of 2007. The court had also made it clear that it will not be extending the time for this on any ground. The six-week period ended on March 29.

OneIndia News (with PTI inputs)