Ticket-hungry fans, desperate to see India's World Cup clash against South Africa on Saturday, were baton-charged by police as they queued, witnesses said on Tuesday. The clashes happened outside the Vidarbha Cricket Association offices, as police struggled to control the crowds, witnesses said.
Fans started queuing on Monday, a day before the counters opened for the sale of tickets for the first World Cup game involving India in the Orange City since 1987. Engineering student Ajay Zade had given up hope of buying one of the 16,000 tickets for the high-profile match, to be held at the VCA's Jamtha Stadium. "I have been waiting since early morning but I have no hope of getting the tickets," said Zade, 20.
It was the second time at the World Cup that fans have been baton-charged. Similar incidents took place in the run-up to the February 27 clash between India and England in Bangalore when fans queued overnight in the hope of securing one of the 7,000 tickets placed on general sale.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.