Bangalore City Police and and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) locked horns over the security of M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the cricket World Cup tournament.
Bangalore City police commissioner, Shankar M Bidari, on Tuesday said that the association had no say in the security of the stadium- both inside and outside.
Additional commissioner of police (law and order) T Suneel Kumar said that security is the police’s concern, and the cricket association could not refuse the force access.
“They (KSCA) are the applicants seeking security. Once the application is submitted, we are the ones who take care of security,” the officer said.
The police, however, were open to suggestions by the association. “If the KSCA executive committee has its own security plan, let them discuss it with us. We will take the necessary decision and act based on it,” Kumar said.
The KSCA, on the other hand, opined that policemen inside the stadium during matches would play spoilsport by occupying the space reserved for ticket holders.
“They should only check the security and get out of the stadium. They cannot utilise other services within the stadium,” a KSCA official said on the condition of anonymity.
The World Cup tournament begins on Saturday. The first match in Bangalore, India vs England, has been slated for February 27.
