In a move that has not gone down well with the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), its associate club members as well as organisers and sponsors of the ICC World Cup, the Mumbai police have rejected accreditation passes issued by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to grant entry into the Wankhede Stadium for Saturday's title clash between India and Sri Lanka.
Further, as part of the security arrangements for the match, all non-ticket holders entering the stadium have been forced to queue up at the venue in advance to get their fingerprints scanned, before a special biometric passes is issued to them by the city police.
“Every single person, be it Sharad Pawar, MCA vice-president Dilip Vengsarkar or the Mumbai police commissioner, has had to get their fingerprints taken for the special passes issued for entry. Around 4,000 Mumbai police passes have been issued to the MCA and associate club members, organisers, private security guards, policemen posted inside the stadium, catering staff and so on. Only certain delegates and dignitaries as well as valid ticket-holders can skip this procedure,” said a senior Mumbai police officer involved in the security arrangements. ICC accreditation passes are meant to serve as a valid document for entry inside the different venues where matches are played through the tournament.
“We have decided to ignore these ICC accreditation passes as they are not foolproof and can be easily forged. We are also aware that some club members, especially those arriving from Mohali, had some complaints and wanted the process to be streamlined and expedited. We are working round-the-clock and the majority of biometric passes were issued yesterday. Some are being issued today as well,” said the officer. Deputy commissioner of police (Operations) Rajkumar Vhatkar said, “Everyone except those who will enter with tickets will need biometric passes.”
At a press conference on Thursday, Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik had admitted that his force was “overdoing” security arrangements for the final. “Such unprecedented security arrangements are nothing to be proud of or boast about, but they are in accordance with professional requirements. I admit we are on overkill, but it is better to be safe than sorry,” Patnaik had said.
Commenting on the procedure, MCA joint secretary Lalchand Rajput said, “We all are co-operating fully with the police and different agencies. They took fingerprints of every accredited card-holder and asked for details of card-holders coming for the match. The President of India is expected to watch the match and there is no doubt there will be VVIP movement here. We can't object to these things, after all it's a security issue.” However, an MCA member, who did not wish to be named, complained. “There is a big chance of chaos outside the stadium because everyone will be asked to punch in before entering the ground, which means there will be a big crowd lined up. There will be thousands of people who will be here for catering, cleaning and other odd jobs, and chances will be more that they have to come way before time.”
“The police even objected to the entry of ICC sponsors, who have spent so much money to get the rights. It's hard to make these cops understand, they are objecting to small things. For instance, they raised objections on why there are so many people from Bajaj Lights. We need them since after all, it’s a day-night game. We have raised the issue before the authorities concerned. They even stopped our former secretary PV Shetty's accreditation, who is now looking after the catering at the stadium,” he claimed.
Further, as part of the security arrangements for the match, all non-ticket holders entering the stadium have been forced to queue up at the venue in advance to get their fingerprints scanned, before a special biometric passes is issued to them by the city police.
“Every single person, be it Sharad Pawar, MCA vice-president Dilip Vengsarkar or the Mumbai police commissioner, has had to get their fingerprints taken for the special passes issued for entry. Around 4,000 Mumbai police passes have been issued to the MCA and associate club members, organisers, private security guards, policemen posted inside the stadium, catering staff and so on. Only certain delegates and dignitaries as well as valid ticket-holders can skip this procedure,” said a senior Mumbai police officer involved in the security arrangements. ICC accreditation passes are meant to serve as a valid document for entry inside the different venues where matches are played through the tournament.
“We have decided to ignore these ICC accreditation passes as they are not foolproof and can be easily forged. We are also aware that some club members, especially those arriving from Mohali, had some complaints and wanted the process to be streamlined and expedited. We are working round-the-clock and the majority of biometric passes were issued yesterday. Some are being issued today as well,” said the officer. Deputy commissioner of police (Operations) Rajkumar Vhatkar said, “Everyone except those who will enter with tickets will need biometric passes.”
At a press conference on Thursday, Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik had admitted that his force was “overdoing” security arrangements for the final. “Such unprecedented security arrangements are nothing to be proud of or boast about, but they are in accordance with professional requirements. I admit we are on overkill, but it is better to be safe than sorry,” Patnaik had said.
Commenting on the procedure, MCA joint secretary Lalchand Rajput said, “We all are co-operating fully with the police and different agencies. They took fingerprints of every accredited card-holder and asked for details of card-holders coming for the match. The President of India is expected to watch the match and there is no doubt there will be VVIP movement here. We can't object to these things, after all it's a security issue.” However, an MCA member, who did not wish to be named, complained. “There is a big chance of chaos outside the stadium because everyone will be asked to punch in before entering the ground, which means there will be a big crowd lined up. There will be thousands of people who will be here for catering, cleaning and other odd jobs, and chances will be more that they have to come way before time.”
“The police even objected to the entry of ICC sponsors, who have spent so much money to get the rights. It's hard to make these cops understand, they are objecting to small things. For instance, they raised objections on why there are so many people from Bajaj Lights. We need them since after all, it’s a day-night game. We have raised the issue before the authorities concerned. They even stopped our former secretary PV Shetty's accreditation, who is now looking after the catering at the stadium,” he claimed.
