Barabati Fiasco: NHRC orders Odisha Police to take appropriate action

Bhubaneswar, Dec 17: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed Odisha police to take appropriate action over security lapse during T20 match between India and South Africa at Barabati stadium in Cuttack.

Acting on the complaint filed by rights activist Akhand, the rights panel has ordered Commissioner of Police of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack to take action within eight weeks in the matter.

Due to this security laps people threw water bottles and disrupted the match for several minutes at Barabati stadium on 5 October.

Police said that they had asked the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) not to allow water bottles into the stadium as Barabati had witnessed similar incident in the past as well. But OCA opened a stall inside the stadium and sold water bottles.

“The crowd went angry over India’s dismal performance. Police should have controlled the crowd when one or two persons started throwing water bottles. Police had reacted late”, alleged Akhand in his petition.

It is not as if the OCA and Commissionerate Police faced such a situation for the first time. In the past too, water pouches were hurled into the ground forcing the police and OCA to raise the height of the protective nets.