IPL semis and final face terror threat in Navi Mumbai too

The Union home ministry has warned the Maharashtra police that terrorists may try to carry out an attack during the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Following this, police have made what they say are foolproof arrangements to avert any incident. “The threat to IPL matches was there earlier, too,” state police chief AN Roy said. “Now, after the blasts in Bangalore, we have become even more cautious.”

A source said a specific alert was sent to the police on Sunday warning of a possible attack on the stadium on April 21 or 22, when the two semifinals are scheduled to be played. Navi Mumbai will be on high alert till April 25, the day of the final.

Personnel from all over the state will be involved in providing security for the IPL, Roy said. “The matches were shifted to DY Patil Stadium at short notice,” the director-general of police said. “We have got just two days to manage everything and are doing our best.”

The stadium will be guarded “like a fortress” as officers from the Navi Mumbai police stations, the State Reserve Police, the local crime branch, and the anti-terrorism squad will man the area within and outside the stadium.

Parking for fans’ vehicles is being shifted some distance away. No one will be allowed to park their vehicles near the stadium.

Each and every spectator will have to go through three tiers of checking, the first being away from the stadium, the next just outside the stadium, and the third inside. No handbags, eatables, water, or mobile phones will be allowed in. “Whoever brings a mobile will have to leave it at the counter at their own risk,” Roy said.

The DGP said everything within a radius of 1km of the stadium will be checked thoroughly. “Everything, including advertisement hoardings, will be checked,” he said. “All stall owners will be given a deadline of a few hours before the match within which they will have to enter the stadium, or they won’t be allowed. Each and every thing they bring in will be checked.”

The stadium will be sealed at 2pm on Tuesday after which nobody will be allowed to enter until the match begins. Personnel who have to enter the stadium are being issued identity cards. The bomb detection squad will also be posted at the stadium.

Vijay Patil, president of the DY Patil Stadium, said, “We have permanent CCTV cameras for security. The IPL is not possible without the cooperation of the public. It is the collective responsibility of everyone to safeguard the sport by cooperating with us.”

Peter Griffiths, IPL’s director of operations, said, “I am aware of the security arrangements made at the stadium and I am satisfied. I hope everything goes well and the matches are a huge success.”