Hardik vs BJP Battle Continues Ahead of Third India-SA ODI

The Rajkot stadium has been fortified and the city secured with large deployment of police and State Reserve Police personnel to ensure smooth conduct of the ODI.

The police have also set up check points on the highways to check mobilisation of the Patels from other cities in Rajkot.

In the months of August and September too, when protests were made by Patidar community, mobile internet services were suspended in several parts of Gujarat.

Convener of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), Hardik said, “Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) should clarify on why they declared that all tickets are sold in spite of the fact that many tickets yet remain unsold”.

“The ban has been imposed to maintain peace, stop spread of rumours and for smooth conduct of the global cricket match”, she said. “Rajkot city police will escort the buses taking players from hotels to the stadium”.

Apart from those five SPs, 24 Deputy Superintendents of Police, 32 Police Inspectors, 183 Police Sub Inspectors, five women Police Sub Inspectors, 1210 constables, 50 traffic police and 171 lady police constables will be deployed, the IG said.

Veteran BCCI administrator from the region and SCA secretary Niranjan Shah called it an “emotional request”.

Earlier, Hardik had threatened that his community members will go in large numbers into the stadium on match day and protest for quota. Gambhir said those ticket-buyers will also be booked under stringent laws if anyone else coming in their place tries to disrupt the match. This, after sources at the SCA said that they had sold close to 4,500 tickets till Thursday evening.

This time, the administration had taken photograph of each person who bought the ticket and entry into the stadium will be based on identity card.

A day after Hardik’s threat of blocking the way of the teams and failing them to enter the venue, he On saturday confirmed that they have got the tickets and will go to the stadium. He included: “PAAS will obstruct the way of both the groups (of India and South Africa) to the stadium (on the match day) and we will likewise cordon the whole stadium”.

“Hardik and members of PAAS, including Chirag Patel, Ketan Patel and myself have obtained tickets of the match and we will surely go to the venue tomorrow”.