6 injured in chaos before Sara show, HIL final | Bhubaneswar News
Rourkela: Even as the revamped Hockey India League finished on a high with Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers claiming the first title here on Saturday, five to six individuals got injured as a smaller section of a gate fell following the commotion outside the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here on Saturday.
After moderate and, at times, poor turnout during the month-long tournament, people came out in huge numbers on the final day to not only cheer the hockey stars in action but also watch young Bollywood sensation Sara Ali Khan dance to their favourite numbers.
As a result, people even without the required passes got into the stadium, and it was choc-a-bloc inside halfway into the first match of the day. To keep things under control inside, the gates were finally closed at around 6.30 pm and that resulted in commotion as nearly 4000 people waited outside the stadium hoping to get in.
Asked what resulted in the disorder, Rourkela’s Superintendent of Police, Nitesh Wadhani said, “There was mis-communication with the ticketing for this match. People thought it was a free-for-all entry which led to the overcrowding.”
“Gate No. 2 also fell due to people pushing and shoving. Five to six people, three of them were our police staff, got injured but there were minor abrasions,” he said.
However, it was learnt from sources that the number of injuries was around 12, of which a few had been shifted to hospital for treatment. But things finally started to get better after people started leaving the stadium post Khan’s performance.
Meanwhile, the secretary general of Hockey India Bhola Nath Singh apologised to the people who came but failed to enter the stadium. “I didn’t expect this kind of turnout on the final day. I request the administration and police to politely and respectfully manage the crowd, avoiding any force or confrontation,” said Bhola Nath.
After moderate and, at times, poor turnout during the month-long tournament, people came out in huge numbers on the final day to not only cheer the hockey stars in action but also watch young Bollywood sensation Sara Ali Khan dance to their favourite numbers.
As a result, people even without the required passes got into the stadium, and it was choc-a-bloc inside halfway into the first match of the day. To keep things under control inside, the gates were finally closed at around 6.30 pm and that resulted in commotion as nearly 4000 people waited outside the stadium hoping to get in.
Asked what resulted in the disorder, Rourkela’s Superintendent of Police, Nitesh Wadhani said, “There was mis-communication with the ticketing for this match. People thought it was a free-for-all entry which led to the overcrowding.”
“Gate No. 2 also fell due to people pushing and shoving. Five to six people, three of them were our police staff, got injured but there were minor abrasions,” he said.
However, it was learnt from sources that the number of injuries was around 12, of which a few had been shifted to hospital for treatment. But things finally started to get better after people started leaving the stadium post Khan’s performance.
Meanwhile, the secretary general of Hockey India Bhola Nath Singh apologised to the people who came but failed to enter the stadium. “I didn’t expect this kind of turnout on the final day. I request the administration and police to politely and respectfully manage the crowd, avoiding any force or confrontation,” said Bhola Nath.
