Chhattisgarh Police heightened security of international hockey players and threw a security ring at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Hockey Stadium on Saturday, a day after three persons stoned a bus carrying Argentina team players back from stadium to hotel after drubbing the home side.
Top officials at police headquarters asserted that they were forced to go in for extra security measures for players and at stadium as Hockey India expressed ‘strong displeasure’ over the stoning incident.
Chhattisgarh is hosting an international-level hockey tournament for the first time ever with high-profile Hero Hockey World league Final-2015 in which eight top teams of the world are competing against each other from Nov 27-Dec 6.
“The ongoing hockey tournament will test out security preparedness, the stone pelting incident can’t be classified as a security breach,’’ a top police officer told The Pioneer. He rued that local media blew the matter out of proportion.
Raipur’s Superintendent of Police, BN Meena informed that the three youths involved in stone pelting on Argentina players’ bus had been identified and arrested. ‘They acted under alcoholic influence and didn’t intend to hurt players’’ Meena stated.
Inspector General of Police, Raipur Range, GP Singh on Saturday reviewed the entire security arrangements for the tournament and for the players during their en route from hotel to stadium and back to hotel.
Singh while told The Pioneer that, “security of all the eight teams has been toned up with immediate effect. We have also made some key adjustments in the route to stadium and back to hotels after every game’’.