More than 11,000 personnel of various agencies including Gujarat Police, NSG, RAF, and home guards among others will be deployed in Ahmedabad and at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the India-Pakistan World Cup cricket match on October 14, a senior officer said on Monday. The high-level security arrangements have been put in place following threats, he said.
Though Ahmedabad has never witnessed communal violence during cricket matches played in the city in the past 20 years, security forces will be deployed in several communally sensitive areas as a precautionary measure, said Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police G S Malik.
Earlier in the day, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel held a meeting with Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, state DGP Vikas Sahay, G S Malik and other senior police officers in Gandhinagar to review the police’s action plan to ensure that the high-profile sports event passes off without any trouble.
Addressing a press conference here in the evening, Malik said the chief minister had reviewed the security preparations and directed the police to take all necessary steps to ensure that no untoward incident takes place during the match.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made keeping in mind factors such as the movement of more than 1 lakh spectators at the stadium and a recent threat issued by unidentified persons through an email, Malik added.
“Along with more than 7,000 police personnel, we will deploy nearly 4,000 home guards to secure the stadium and to maintain law and order in communally sensitive areas of the city during the match. In addition to these personnel, we will deploy three ‘hit teams’ and one anti-drone team of the NSG. Nine teams of our bomb detection and disposal squad will also be utilised,” Malik said.
Four senior IPS officers of the ranks of the inspector general and the deputy inspector general along with 21 deputy commissioner of police (DCP) rank officers will supervise and guide the personnel on the match day, he said.
“Apart from 13 companies of the state reserve police (SRP), we will deploy three companies of Rapid Action Force as part of our security setup. The RAF will keep a watch on communally sensitive areas of the city. To help people in case of a stampede, we have already prepared an evacuation plan and rehearsals are also going on at the stadium,” Malik said.
To respond to any chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies during the match, teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will also be deployed in the city, he said.
As per reports, Mumbai Police received an email in which an unidentified sender issued threats to harm the prime minister and blow up the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The sender also demanded Rs 500 crore and the release of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi from jail.
Malik said such threats have been duly “assessed” by the city police and it was found that the mail was sent from a foreign location.
“We have assessed such threats and made our deployment plan accordingly. Moreover, such an elaborate security arrangement is necessary when more than one lakh spectators are going to come to watch the match.
“We also took into account the fact that it will be a sensitive match and it can create communal disturbance,” Malik said, adding that city police are well-prepared to deal with any situation.
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