By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: It was a forced break for players of the Shillong Cricket League (2nd Division) when Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel took over the Cricket Ground in Polo to conduct a security drill inside the Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex (JNSC) on Tuesday.
The SPG team is here to supervise the security of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh who is scheduled to visit the city on Friday. Dr Singh will address a public rally near the JN Sports Complex.
Sources said on Wednesday that the SPG personnel carried out a security drill inside the JNSC and cricket ground even as the Shillong Cricket Association (SCA) was not informed of any such move. “The SPG men in their suave suits stepped into the ground and asked for the match to be stopped saying that a security drill was to be conducted,” sources said.
Further, to the surprise of the players, an IAF chopper landed on the pitch an hour later.
East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Goel admitted that there could have been a ‘communication gap’ leading to the inconvenience.
Meanwhile, majority of the players felt that prior information regarding the security drill should have been provided with.
“The organizers should have been intimated so that the match could be deferred. The directive to stop the match was uncalled for since the visit of the Prime Minister is not a sudden one,” the players said.
When contacted, Congress functionaries shied away from a direct response and pinned the responsibility on the district administration. “We are not connected with the Prime Minister’s security arrangements, it is done by the SPG in coordination with the district administration,” a senior Congress functionary said.
