All future matches will have unprecedented security, including paramilitary forces with AK 47s, at stadiums and hotels, to protect cricketers from possible attacks
All future matches will have unprecedented security, including paramilitary forces with AK 47s, at stadiums and hotels, to protect cricketers from possible attacks
Watching a cricket match in a stadium will not be the same anymore. With the looming threat of a terror
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cricket under attack: Gunmen fired at the Sri Lankan team convoy and injured six cricketers outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Here, cops remove the dead body of a commando at the shooting site. PIC/AP |
attack, you'll be witness to heightened security, commandos trotting with AK 47s and plainclothes policemen frisking every suspicious spectator. The Mumbai police have decided not to take any chances following the first-ever terror attack on cricketers in Lahore yesterday.
The police will upgrade security and deploy paramilitary forces to protect cricketers during all future matches. The resultant tightened security will be on view from the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches that start from April 18.
Commissioner of Police Hasan Gafoor said security during all future matches will be reviewed and heavily armed commandos will guard players, stadiums as well as hotels. "There is already a security cover in place for our cricketers. It will be increased during future matches," said Gafoor.
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Police sources informed that the commandos for the matches could be from the Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo Tibetan Border Police or state police units stationed in and around Mumbai. They will be equipped with weapons like AK-47s, MP-5s and reliable pistols with low stoppages.
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The commandos will be trained to break into a building and a room occupied by terrorists with cricketers as hostages. Their job will also include cordoning stadiums and foiling any chance of an external attack. A Crime Branch officer said that apart from these security measures, there will be heavily armed commando formations exclusively protecting prominent players like cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Shocking attack
Twelve terrorists in six pairs attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team bus outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore yesterday. The gunmen attacked the team's convoy with rockets, hand grenades and automatic weapons, killing two civilians, six police officers and injuring six cricketers.
The well-executed operation was similar to the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, senior police officers pointed out. They added that there is a possibility that another group of well-trained terrorists carrying out similar attacks during cricket matches in Mumbai.
