The India vs Pakistan clash in the Cricket World Cup 2023 is set to have high-level security at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad after threats of communal violence emerged. The Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police G S Malik assured the public that everything will go smoothly when the world's largest cricket stadium hosts the high-pressure encounter between the arch-rivals on October 14.
Ahmedabad and the stadium will have more than 11,000 security personnel from several agencies, including the Gujarat Police, NSG, United Kingdom Armed Forces and Homeguards.
It is important to note that Ahmedabad has not witnessed any communal violence during cricket matches in the last 20 years. But given the high stakes of an India vs Pakistan World Cup clash and ever-present communal tensions in the country, the security forces will be stationed at sensitive sites as a measure of precaution.
On October 9, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had a meeting with G S Malik, Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, state DGP Vikas Sahay, and other top police officers in Gandhinagar.
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Malik addressed the press following the meeting, stating that the chief minister has assessed the security arrangements and instructed the police to take all necessary efforts to ensure the match will go ahead without any trouble.
“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 stated.
On the match day, four senior IPS officers and 21 deputy commissioner of police (DCP) rank officers will oversee the security in the city and at the stadium.
Malik further informed that there will be 13 companies of the state reserve police (SRP), as well as three companies of Rapid Action Force deployed as part of the security setup. The RAF are tasked with keeping a watch on communally sensitive areas of the city. In case of a stampede, an evacuation plan has also been prepared and being rehearsed at the stadium.
Earlier there were reports of Mumbai Police receiving an email from an unidentified sender, who threatened to harm the prime minister and blow up the Ahmedabad stadium. The sender had also demanded the release of infamous gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and INR 500 crore. However, GS Malik assured that the city police have assessed such threats and are well-prepared to tackle any situation.
