Scores of former Indian skipper Virat Kohli fans on Thursday thronged Arun Jaitley Stadium here to catch a glimpse of their hero leading to chaos for a brief while outside the stadium. He returned to play for the first time the Ranji Trophy after 12 years. The first day Delhi-Railways match saw fans lining outside the stadium from early morning. There was a brief rush and jostling outside the stadium as spectators tried to make their way inside. No one was injured in the incident, police said.
Initially, only one gate was open for entry and people started pushing each other to get inside the stadium, a Delhi Police statement said.
“Additional gates were soon opened, easing the situation. No injuries were reported, and the situation is now under control,” it said.
The ‘Gautam Gambhir Stand’ was already packed and it hardly took time to fill the lower tier of the ‘Bishan Bedi Stand’, taking the crowd count well past 12,000 at toss.
The deafening roars of “Kohli, Kohli” could be heard from a distance as the former India captain took the field with the rest of the Delhi teammates.
Outside Gate 16, the crowd was involved in pushing each other, which led to a couple of fans falling near the entry gate and getting injured. A police bike was damaged and several left behind their shoes. At least three people got injured in the chaos, reports said.
The injured fans were treated by the Delhi and District Cricket Association(DDCA) security and police near the gate. One of the fans also needed a bandage on the leg. A security guard was also injured while trying to get the situation under control.
It was evident that Delhi’s cricket administrators had not anticipated such a large turnout. Initially, only three gates-including Gate 16-were scheduled to open for fans. However, given the overwhelming influx, an additional gate was eventually opened.
Fans, who had brought their children with them, raised their kids on their shoulders to avoid suffocation in the crowded conditions. Those near the entry gate who saw the injured kept requesting the crowd behind them to retreat, but their pleas went ignored.