IPL 2023: ‘Protest banners’ on CAA/NRC banned at 4 IPL venues

For every IPL 2023 match, there is a list of “prohibited items” that are not allowed inside a stadium and for this season’s games at some venues, fans are barred from carrying “protest banners”.

According to “Paytm Insider”, which is the IPL 2023 online ticket partner of six franchises – Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC), Gujarat Titans (GT), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), has advised spectators against bringing protest banners related to Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

On the “Paytm Insider” website, tickets are available online for SRH, DC, GT, and PBKS home matches in Hyderabad, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mohali respectively.

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Under the “prohibited items” list, among others is “No CAA/NRC Protest Banners.”

According to reports, the advisory has been issued by the franchises, that manage the ticketing business of their respective home matches. It is usually done in consultation with the BCCI as marquee sporting events do not allow any publicity of any sensitive political or policy issues.

The Citizen Amendment Act, 2019, better known as CAA was passed by the Parliament of India on December 12, 2019.

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The CAA allowed minorities like Sikhs, Parsis, Jains, Buddhists in Islamic countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to get Indian citizenship, if they had arrived in the country before December 2014. The law didn’t grant eligibility to Muslims from these countries.

It had sparked protests across the country as the amendment was seen as discriminatory on the basis of religion.

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a register of all Indian citizens whose creation was mandated by the 2003 amendment of the Citizenship Act, 1955.

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Its purpose is to document all the legal citizens of India so that the illegal immigrants can be identified and deported.

With fans set to set to return to the stadium after missing the action from the venues for three seasons due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Indian board as well as the franchises perhaps wanted to ensure that no posters or banners are seen inside the stadium which are of sensitive nature.

When a senior Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) official was asked about the advisory, according to a PTI report, he said, “The ticketing is completely a franchise’s prerogative. We are just facilitators, who provide them with the venue. We have no role in ticketing advisory.”

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A representative of an IPL franchise said that any advisory on prohibited items is always prepared in consultation with the BCCI.

“Any franchise prepares its list of do’s and don’ts on the advice of the BCCI and hence if such an advisory has gone, there is approval from the board or else it wouldn’t appear on the website,” said one of franchise officials on condition of anonymity.

While there was no official comment available from the BCCI, sources in the know of things said that the protocols that even FIFA follows during its mega event has been adhered to while issuing the advisory.

This is also a way to avoid any untoward incident in the stadium.

“Please check FIFA guidelines for the last year’s World Cup football in Qatar. According to FIFA rules, “political, religious or personal messages or slogans” are banned,” a BCCI official tracking developments said.

According to a source, the BCCI is wary that one might wear a T-shirt under his shirt or just draw a poster with content that could be politically sensitive in nature.

A diktat like this will prevent any such activity as if anyone does otherwise, he/she could then be held for breach of in-stadia rules.

It must be mentioned that during the FIFA World Cup, at least seven captains from different nations wanted to wear ‘One Love’ armband with rainbow flag to protest against Qatar’s law on same-sex relationship.

But once FIFA threatened to show yellow cards to players for wearing such arm-bands, the teams changed the plans.

IPL 2023, which started on March 31, will end on May 28 with the final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.

(With agency inputs)