DNA Edit: Protests show politics has entered the IPL

It was disappointing but perhaps inevitable that a match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) would be turned into a venue for a political protest. Given that various avenues of entertainment in this country, especially films, have been used by various groups to highlight their political cause, why would sporting events be any different? And as the recent clash at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai showed, it wasn’t. Protesting the Cauvery issue, politicians, artistes and activists marched on the streets of Chennai in the run-up to the game. More serious incidents took place such as the burning of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) T-shirts, and a dangerous situation where CSK player Ravindra Jadeja was nearly hit by a shoe thrown by a member of the crowd. Ultimately, politics won over sport, CSK matches will no longer be played in Chennai. While the ‘Chennai incident’ may be over for now, this does beg the question, will people living in other states and cities also see IPL matches as a fit venue to plead for a political cause? 

One hopes not but it’s more than likely. Apart from the danger of workers from rival political parties clashing, there are enough contentious issues in each state to cause problems. Caste issues, farmers’ rights, communal violence in parts of Bengal, all of them could be potential triggers for protests and even violence by mobs in stadiums. Groups espousing a political cause in this country have been able to block traffic, damage property,  and prevent film-makers from screening their films for long durations, without the slightest fear of the law. This scenario played itself out again in Chennai when police expressed their inability to provide adequate security, and should such a scenario occur elsewhere it is more than likely the answer will be the same. Politics has now truly entered the IPL.