On the first day of the offline mode of the ticket sale for the third T20 of the series, a large crowd gathered at the venue from as early as 5 am.
Injured supporters outside Gymkhana ground in Secunderabad.(Screengrab)
At least 20 people are reported to be injured on Thursday, 22 September, after the Hyderabad City Police resorted to lathi charge on a large crowd at the gymkhana grounds in Secunderabad.
The police confirmed to South First that no one had died in the stampede. They also appealed to people not to spread rumours.
The crowd had gathered to buy tickets for the third India-Australia Twenty20 cricket match of the ongoing series, scheduled later this week.
The crowd queued up to buy the tickets for the final match of the series on 25 September.
The queuing is said to have started outside the ticket counters as early as 5 am on Thursday.
This comes a day after the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), in coordination with the digital payment platform Paytm, decided to adapt the offline mode for the sale of tickets.
The official time set for the sale of 3,000 tickets was from 10 am to 5 pm.
Cricket enthusiasts gathered by the thousands to buy the tickets, with a horde of people forming queues as long as 4 km outside the gymkhana ground after Paytm cancelled online booking. The sale of tickets was supposed to start on Wednesday, but HCA postponed it to the next day.
Many of the supporters came at 4 am on Thursday to get tickets. Thousands of supporters had gathered before 10 am, the official time for the sale of tickets to begin.
“We came at six in the morning and stood in line for seven to hours. The ticket counters opened at 10 am. A huge crowd was there to buy the tickets. The total road was blocked, and after 10 am people broke the ground gate and rushed towards the ticket counter. Many people fell on the ground and were injured,” Rohit, a supporter who was able to buy tickets at the gymkhana grounds, told South First.
He alleged that the management of the HCA was not up to the mark as international cricket was returning to Hyderabad after three years.
Hear a supporters version about what led to stamped.@TheSouthfirst pic.twitter.com/7iB2lXLFCV
— Sumit Jha (@sumitjha__) September 22, 2022
Some of the supporters also told South First that the crowds were not under control by the time the gate opened.
“Everyone was rushing towards the gate. No one was there to give the right information and ask us to get back in line. Everyone ran towards the gate. The authorities should have opened the gates but no one came and then the crowd started to jump over the gate to get into the line,” said another person.
“As it started raining heavily, the large crowd at the ticket venue went to one spot to take shelter. Everything was happening cordially as the police were sending in two people at a time. However, things went out of control when the crowd suddenly tried to barge in,” Additional DCP North Zone G Venkateshwarlu told South First, adding that the police resorted to mild lathi charges to control the crowd.
The top cop added that the situation was brought under control soon.
According to the police officer, some people sustained minor injuries and were shifted to Yashoda Hospital in Secunderabad.
“Three-four people, who were injured, are being treated. They will be released as soon as the treatment is over,” he added.
Asked about the reports of the police giving CPR to the people who fainted, he said, “It was done to help them in breathing. There is no report of any death at all. ”
Speaking to South First, Yashoda Hospital official said that seven injured individuals have been admitted to the hospital.
“They were brought to the emergency ward. The injuries are not serious and their medical evaluations are going on and after getting medically fit they will be discharged,” said the official.
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