Hyderabad: 20 hurt as India-Australia match ticket sales ends in stampede

Sports Minister V Srinivas Goud, who held a meeting with HCA officials including the Association president, Mohammed Azharuddin, said a thorough enquiry would be conducted into the entire episode and that measures would be initiated to ensure such situations did not recur.

Hyderabad: Nearly 20 persons were injured, including seven who had to be rushed to hospital, after a stampede-like situation broke out at Gymkhana Grounds on Thursday during the sale of tickets for Sunday’s third India-Australia T20 match.

Amid widespread criticism that the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has bungled up the ticket sale, leading to chaos, the State government said it would taken stern action in case of irregularities.

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Sports Minister V Srinivas Goud, who held a meeting with HCA officials, including its president Mohammed Azharuddin, said a thorough probe would be conducted. The Begumpet police registered a case against Azharuddin and others.

People started to gather at Gymkhana Grounds from Wednesday night itself after the cricket association announced the sale of offline tickets from 10 am on Thursday. The crowd swelled to a few thousands by morning as people were eager to get a ticket to the match which was being held after a three-year Covid break.

“As soon as the gates were opened, the crowd tried to rush into the venue leading to commotion. Several people fell down in the melee and were stamped upon by others resulting in seven persons requiring hospitalization,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) DS Chauhan said.

The police resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd while the injured, including a woman who was gasping for breath, were rushed in a police vehicle to a nearby hospital. The injured who were hospitalized included a fireman and a police constable.

Soon after the incident, senior police officials along with additional forces rushed to the spot and spoke to the HCA management. The police also noticed several discrepancies at the venue including only a few ticket counters being set up and also found that improper barricading resulted in the incident. Police sources said higher ups have taken the issue seriously and that a police case would be booked against the HCA.

“A victim has lodged a complaint and the process to book a case has been set in motion,” an official said.