Kalinga Sena threatens to disrupt IPL matches in Orissa
By IANSThursday, February 18, 2010
BHUBANESWAR - Kalinga Sena, a fringe political outfit in Orissa, Thursday set four conditions for allowing IPL matches to be played in the state’s Barabati stadium next month and threatened to disrupt them if their demands, including not allowing Australians to play there, were not met.
“We have set four conditions. If they are not fulfilled, we will not allow the matches to happen,” Kalinga Sena president Hemanta Rath told IANS.
“We will not allow Australians to play here because Indian students are attacked in their country. We want an assurance from BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and IPL that the Australians are not playing here,” he said.
Among the other conditions, Rath sought organisers assure them that there would be no cheer girl dances during the matches and the BCCI explain why no player from Orissa was included in the East Zone Duleep Trophy cricket team,” he said.
Terming the IPL matches “gambling”, Rath also sought criminal cases against various industrialists and actors involved in the bidding process of IPL.
“If police can arresting a poor man on charge of gambling, why cannot cases be registered against these people,” he said.
Cuttack, a non-IPL franchisee city, got the chance to host the matches after the Hyderabad-based franchisee Deccan Chargers picked Barabati Stadium as the venue terming it as their “catchment” area.
As per the revised IPL schedule, the Deccan Chargers would meet Kings XI Punjab March 19, and Delhi Daredevils March 21 at the Barabati stadium.
