• Home
• /
• Cricket

Unprecedented security for final in Mumbai

When India and Sri Lanka play their World Cup final here on Saturday, security forces will be on full alert outside the Wankhede stadium.

While Anti-aircraft guns from the Indian Air Force and navy boats will be deployed, commandos from the National Security Guards, the Indian Navy, Force One, the crack state police unit trained to take on terrorists, and the Mumbai police will work in tandem to ensure top-level security during the match.

The security forces are not taking any chances with the expected arrival of a lot of VVIPs for the final. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Indian counterpart Prathibha Patil will attend the final, while a host of Indian ministers are expected to be present.

“Fast attack craft, patrol vessels and fast interceptor craft have been deployed to secure Mumbai’s shores,” a navy spokesperson was quoted as saying in an Indian newspaper.

“Additional checkpoints have been set up along the coast to the man the boat landing area.”

Besides, the stadium has been declared a no-flying zone. No aircraft will be permitted within 10km of the stadium, according to media reports.

The hightened security follows recent reports that Interpol had foiled a militant plot to carry out an attack during the cricket World Cup. Around 3,500 police personnel and 400 members of the central paramilitary forces will be deployed for Saturday’s final. The fans will also have to go through a multi-tier security check before entering the stadium.

“These matches are not meant for die-hard cricket fans like us. We went with a lot of hope to secure a ticket one month ago, but only wasted our time in the queue. We learnt that only limited tickets are available for the ordinary fans and a lot were bought by corporate houses, spending crores of rupees,” Ajay Krishna, a plus two student and an avid cricket fan from Dombivli told Khaleej Times.

“When we have learnt about the tight security situation, we felt it is better not to go and we now plan to watch the match in-front of a huge TV in the company of our friends and we’ll cheer for an Indian victory,” he added.