Delhi Police Commissioner Y. S. Dadwal on Wednesday said that the overall security scenario and commitments for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections had prompted the police to take a stand against holding the India Premier League (IPL) cricket matches in the Capital.
“I don’t think I will take this risk. We have election commitments as well as other security concerns. To ensure safe elections we need additional police personnel, especially in the wake of what happened to the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan recently,” said Mr. Dadwal addressing a press conference.
Delhi and some other cities have been dropped as venues in the latest schedule for the second edition of IPL, which is still awaiting a green signal from the Union Home Ministry.
‘We are stretched’
Stating that security in the Capital had been tightened after the serial blasts in Delhi last September and the more recent Mumbai terror attacks, Mr. Dadwal said: “We are stretched. I will have to withdraw personnel from their present assignments to provide security for IPL matches. We are all cricket fans, but my priority is to provide security to the people.”
When it was pointed out that Mumbai had agreed to host IPL matches despite the terror attacks four months ago, Mr. Dadwal said: “You compare the size of Mumbai with Delhi. It is a part of Maharashtra and it has a huge reserve of armed forces.”
As for security for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Mr. Dadwal said: “By that time, 10,000 more personnel will be recruited to the police force. There are no elections in 2010. The Central Government will also be in a position to provide us additional force. We will have world class security in place for the Games.”
Source: http://www.hindu.com/
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