Wankhede will resemble Fort Knox for rest of World Cup schedule: Police chief

With a terror threat looming large over the World Cup matches that are to be held at the Wankhede stadium, the police have decided to turn the whole city into a fortress. They fear a Jama Masjid like firing incident that spread panic in Delhi ahead of the Commonwealth Games. With the first match on March 13, the sleuths would also have sizeable security at the places frequented by foreign tourists. Citing the importance of holding trouble- free matches, Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik spent five long hours inspecting the refurbished Wankhede stadium on Wednesday.

The police are trying their best to secure the stadium and the entire city during the World Cup matches. Rajkumar Vhatkar, DCP (Operations) said, " There was a random incident of firing near Jama Masjid to spread panic two weeks before the CWG games. Citing foolproof security, the attackers may target other parts of the city and carry out similar incidents. Hence, we have decided to throw a blanket of security in the whole city." Ahead of the first match, Patnaik inspected the stadium along with the additional commissioners for five hours and took stock of the plans for the mega event.

The officials also added that the places frequented by foreign tourists may be targeted and hence enough security would be provided to these spots during the matches. During Patnaik's inspection, some loopholes were also found at the stadium.

Vhatkar added, " On one side of the stadium, adjoining the railway tracks, some metal sheets have been put up. We have spoken with the authorities to fix the spot permanently. They have assured us the same. We also conducted a dress- rehearsal of the events that will be carried out on D- Day. The path which will be used by the players and the security has also been chalked out."

While many policemen would be placed to frisk spectators at the stadium, officials would also scan CCTV footages round the clock. Over 200 CCTV cameras have been put up in and around the stadium premises. Vhatkar further added, " We have set up a control room to scan real time CCTV footages. Staffers of Mumbai police, BMC's disaster cell, fire brigade, BEST and private security agencies would man in and around the stadium. The prime concern behind all these departments staying together is to have proper coordination in case of any untoward incident."

With these arrangements in place, the police have appealed to the people to cooperate with the security personnel and arrive at the spot well before the match starts. Vhatkar said, " For fast entry at the venue, the spectators should avoid carrying any object with them."