Fans swarm for India-Australia T20 tickets, creating a stampede-like situation

• Image Credit: Internet

• Sep 22, 2022 | Sourav Boruah

 Digital Desk: Several fans were injured after a stampede-like situation
broke out in Gymkhana Grounds, Secunderabad, on Thursday after the former had
gathered to buy offline tickets for the third T20 cricket match between India
and Australia, which is scheduled to take place on September 25 at the Rajiv Gandhi
International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.

Many fans were injured in the ensuing melee, and approximately 20 were
injured during a lathicharge by police officers.

More than 30,000 fans
have flocked to the Gymkhana grounds since the Hyderabad Cricket Association
(HCA) announced the sale of approximately 3,000 tickets offline beginning at 10
a.m.

According to DS
Chauhan, additional commissioner of police (law and order), the HCA did not
make proper arrangements at the grounds to keep the queue at the ticket
counters moving, resulting in a mad rush of people pushing and jostling each
other.

"This triggered a
stampede-like situation." Several people, including a woman, were knocked
out in the melee. "We rushed them to a nearby corporate hospital and they
are now safe," Chauhan said.

As the situation
became tense and out of control, additional police forces rushed to the scene
and used lathi-charge to disperse the unruly crowd, injuring many people.

 "Some police
officers were also injured in the attack by the angry mob," he said.

While the HCA only
sold a limited number of tickets offline, fans formed a line that stretched for
more than a kilometre. According to Chauhan, this resulted in a stampede-like
situation.

 People had been
visiting the HCA office on the Gymkhana grounds for tickets since Wednesday
morning, as the sale of tickets online had been halted due to a server outage.

Many of them attempted
to jump over the Gymkhana gates to gain access to the HCA office, but the
police stopped them.

According to Chauhan,
the HCA had not even planned for drinking water for such a large crowd.

"We will investigate the HCA's lapses and issue notices
to the management for questioning," he said, adding that if there were any
lapses, stringent action would be taken against them.

 Meanwhile, state sports minister V Srinivas Goud has called
a meeting of the HCA management to discuss the developments and make plans for
a smooth ticket sale.