IPL 2013: Fans shrug off Bangalore blast to rock stadium
With unprecedented security cover turning the stadium into a fortress, thousands of fans had tough time in reaching the venue in downtown and entering the stands as they had to go through stringent checks by baton-wielding cops and gun-totting guards.
Frenzied fans came in droves late on Saturday to rock the Chinnaswamy stadium, shrugging off the terror blast here on Wednesday for an exciting Pepsi IPL-6 T-20 match between hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), led by local lad Rahul Dravid.
With unprecedented security cover turning the stadium into a fortress, thousands of fans had tough time in reaching the venue in downtown and entering the stands as they had to go through stringent checks by baton-wielding cops and gun-totting guards.
"As the city has been on high alert after the bomb blast in the north-west suburb, we had to enforce stringent security in and around the stadium to ensure the safety of players and thousands of fans and prevent any untoward incident," a senior police official told IANS at the main gate.
Besides deploying about 1,000 police personnel, including Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Rapid Armed Force (RAF) around the stadium, a bomb squad and a dog squad were pressed into service to detect explosive materials and sniff out trouble makers.
Closed circuit television cameras and surveillance systems were also activated to record movement of fans, vehicles and the high-octane match in the middle.
"Though we were initially apprehensive in coming to the stadium due to the uneasy situation in the city after the blast, weekend holiday and the excitement to watch the in-form RCB team play made us to be here and were surprised to see a capacity crowd across the stands," Biju George, a marketing executive, told IANS in the KSCA club box.