GUWAHATI: Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the upcoming T20 International Cricket match where India will take on Sri Lanka in their first match of the New Year at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday.
Devajit Saikia, secretary Assam Cricket Association (ACA), on Friday said that posters, banners, and message boards will not be allowed inside the Barsapara Cricket Stadium. Placards showing “4” and “6” too will not be allowed because they could be used for surrogate advertisements. Eventually, marker pens will also not be allowed into the stadium.
To justify his statement Devjit Saikia said that everybody in the state is worried about the current scenario and as it is an international event, security has been beefed up. He also referred to the stone throwing incident at the Australian cricket team bus window in 2017.
Saikia also added another reason for not allowing placards and posters was because of a marketing deal that ended between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and a beverage multi-national.
Addressing a press meet, Guwahati city police commissioner Munna Prasad Gupta said that only men’s wallets, ladies handbags, mobile phones and vehicle keys will be permitted inside the ground.
Though the city commissioner has not specified the exact number of police personnel that will be deployed in and around the city on the match day but said that they will maintain a standard drill and deploy enough security officials to maintain the decorum.
From the past few years ACA has been trying to convince the IPL Governing Council to let ACA host matches in Guwahati. So it is very important for the ACA to host this match as it will open the gates for future IPL matches in Guwahati.
