Prohibitory orders banning public gatherings, protests and the distribution of inflammatory material were imposed in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district ahead of an India-Bangladesh cricket match there on Sunday, reported PTI.
The match is scheduled to take place at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium in Gwalior city, which will host an international cricket match for the first time in 14 years.
The orders will remain in effect till Monday and came in response to a call for a ‘Gwalior bandh’ by the Hindutva group Hindu Mahasabha, which said it would protest the alleged atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh during the match.
On September 27, a Bangladeshi cricket fan alleged that he was assaulted by a mob of about 15 persons during a match between India and Bangladesh at the Green Park Stadium in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur.
The police, however, denied his claims and said that the fan, who goes by the name “Tiger” Robi, was taken to the hospital after he collapsed at the stadium due to dehydration.
The government had beefed up security near the venue in Kanpur ahead of the match after Hindutva groups threatened to protest in view of reports of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, which emerged after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in August.
On Wednesday, the Hindu Mahasabha organised a protest in Gwalior demanding that Sunday’s match be cancelled.
District Magistrate Ruchika Chauhan issued the prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita based on the superintendent of police’s recommendation, officials told PTI.
The section deals with the power to issue orders in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger.
The police noted that several organisations were involved in protests against the match and the Bangladeshi cricket team.
Religious sentiments were being incited and a communal atmosphere was being created with objectionable messages, pictures, videos, audio and other means on social media platforms, a police officer was quoted as saying by PTI.
Gatherings of five or more people and carrying firearms has been prohibited in Gwalior in view of these tensions. Flammable substances like kerosene, petrol and acid have been banned within a 200-metre radius of all buildings, PTI reported.
About 1,600 police personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order in Gwalior city, according to the news agency.
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