Bangladesh will ramp up security to 'state-level' for the West Indies team in an attempt to ensure their World Cup quarter-final passes off trouble-free, a senior police officer said Monday.
Published: Mar 21, 2011, 07:24 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 21, 2011, 07:24 PM (IST)
A security officer and a sniffer dog check the ground of the Sher-e Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka
Dhaka: Mar 21, 2011
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Bangladesh will ramp up security to ‘state-level’ for the West Indies team in an attempt to ensure their World Cup quarter-final passes off trouble-free, a senior police officer said Monday.
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The West Indies will take on Pakistan on Wednesday, with Bangladeshi officials keen to avoid a repeat of the embarrassing March 4 incident, when an angry mob pelted the West Indies team bus with stones. Bangladesh fans attacked the bus as the visiting players were leaving Sher-e-Bangla stadium after beating the home side in a one-sided match.
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The Windies bowled the World Cup co-hosts out for a humiliating 58 — Bangladesh’s lowest ever one-day score.
Dhaka police commissioner Benazir Ahmed told AFP the West Indies team would be provided with the “highest security” possible when they arrive later Monday and police would made sure there was no “crowd trouble”. “The West Indies are our valued guests and we will ensure the highest state-level security to them. It’s a state-level commitment. We shall make sure that there is no crowd along the key parts of the road to the stadium,” he said.
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“They can be assured of fool-proof security,” he added. He said the same security arrangement was provided to the South African team when they took on Bangladesh at the same stadium Saturday. The home side lost the match and crashed out of the World Cup but this time there was no angry reaction from fans.
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International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat had downplayed the March 4 bus attack, insisting it was a minor incident, but West Indies coach Ottis Gibson said it was a serious breach of security. He said West Indies players took cover on the floor of the bus. Police said the attack was a case of mistaken identity as the fans’ real target was the Bangladesh team vehicle.
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Police and elite security force, the Rapid Action Battalion, arrested 38 people in connection with the attack.
Fans also attacked Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan’s home. Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle blasted Bangladeshi officials for the attack through a Twitter message while the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) claimed that more should have been done to protect the players.
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© AFP
