Though the Mumbai Police has expressed inability to provide security to the tour-opening first Twenty20 International between India and West Indies on December 6, the Mumbai Cricket Association is still optimistic that all the issues will be sorted out in a couple of days.
The Mumbai Police will be on a high alert on December 6, the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition and also Mahaparinirvan Din of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar. On that day, lakhs of Ambedkar followers throng the Chaityabhumi, his memorial in Dadar.
“As police will be busy in maintaining law and order in the city on [December 6], they may not be able to give security cover to the game,” police sources said.
However, Mumbai Cricket Association sources said a final call on this matter will be taken only after it’s senior officials meet top Mumbai cops.
It is also reliably learnt that the association has not communicated anything to the BCCI as police are yet to inform them in writing about their inability to provide security for the match.
If the cops can provide at least 20% of the security, the rest could be managed by hiring private security personnel, a MCA official said.
However, another official said if nothing works out, then they would ask for a swap with the third T20 scheduled in Hyderabad on December 11.
Last year, due to administrative issues in the MCA, the BCCI had shifted the ODI against West Indies from Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to the nearby Brabourne Stadium, which is managed by the Cricket Club of India.
The Wankhede Stadium last hosted an international fixture in December 2017 against Sri Lanka.
According to a senior MCA official, usually around 1,000 police personal are required for an international fixture.
With PTI Inputs