World Cup 2023: India-Pak match: Ahmedabad under security blanket

Ahmedabad is virtually turning into a fortress.

With the countdown for the most anticipated India-Pakistan October 14 clash in the ICC World Cup 2023 already on, tight security arrangements have been made at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The city will turn into a fortress from October 11, as around 11,000 personnel of various security agencies will be deployed in and around the Narendra Modi Stadium, including the elite National Security Guard (NSG), Rapid Action Force (RAF), home guards, and various wings of Gujarat Police.

“The police will ensure security arrangements are in place from October 11. Security personnel will be deployed at the stadium gates. There will be a constant checking of vehicles, hotels and guest houses across the city. Besides, we will keep a watch on certain elements that may pose a potential threat,” said Chirag Koradia, Additional Commissioner of Police.

Noticeably, the match's third and last batch of tickets has been sold out within hours of their release on Tuesday. The Narendra Modi Stadium which can accommodate 1.3 lakh spectators will be packed to capacity. Apart from over a lakh viewers, hundreds of VVIPs are expected to witness the ODI clash between the archrivals.

Apart from security personnel from central forces, more than 7,000 personnel of Gujarat police and approximately 4,000 home guards will be deployed around the stadium. Gujarat police will also be deployed in the communally sensitive areas of the city from October 11.

Security details

Four senior IPS officers in the rank of inspector general and deputy inspector general, as well as 21 deputy commissioner of police (DCP) rank officers, will supervise and guide the security personnel deployed around the city on the day of the match.

Addressing a press conference, Gyanendra Singh Malik, Ahmedabad’s Commissioner of Police, said, “This is the most keenly awaited match of the tournament and we expect that people watch it with sportsmanship. To avoid anything untoward incident, we have arranged for an additional escort team, along with the usual pilot team who will accompany Indian and Pakistani cricket teams.

“Adding to the regular security, visitors will only be permitted to bring their phones into the stadium. They will not be permitted to bring water bottles or anything else that they can throw inside. The security personnel deployed at the stadium will also keep an eye on any posters or banners having objectionable messages and seize them at the entrance. Three NSG Hit teams and an anti-drone team of the NSG as well as nine teams of our bomb detection and disposal squad will also be on standby,” Malik said.

Thirteen companies of the state reserve police (SRP) and three companies of Rapid Action Force will be deployed. The RAF shall keep a watch on communally sensitive areas, such as Dariapur, Karanj, and Shahpur in Ahmedabad. An evacuation plan has been put into place and is being rehearsed at the stadium to tackle a stampede situation.

Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will also be stationed in the city to respond to any “chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies” that may arise during the game.

Threats loom

Ahead of the India-Pakistan match at Narendra Modi stadium, the Mumbai police have received an email, in which an unidentified sender has issued a threat to blow up the stadium on October 14. The Gujarat police were then apprised of the issue.

The sender has also demanded Rs 500 crore and the release of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi from jail, failing which threats have been issued to “harm” the country's prime minister. Given the threats, Gujarat police have arranged for extra security for the match on October 14.

“The Gujarat police have assessed these threats and have discovered that the mail was sent from a foreign country. The threats are not being taken lightly and we have planned our security deployment accordingly. More than one lakh spectators are going to watch the match and it requires an elaborate security arrangement,” said Malik.

“We also considered the fact that it will be a sensitive match and it can create a communal disturbance in the city and due measures have been taken if any such situation were to crop up,” added Malik.

Noticeably, at the time of the World Cup’s opening on October 5, the Gujarat police had booked Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, the chief of the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice, for threatening to turn the World Cup into a “world terror cup”.