Where the spectators are least important

ANSHUMAN SHUKLA was 10th in the queue, after having joined it at 11 in the night for the match to start 10 hours later. He had spent the night outside the Green Park, not to grab a vantage seat but, as he put it, to get into the enclosure in one piece. After all, he had spent hours in trying to procure the match ticket, pushing and jostling to reach the counter at one of the banks. His misery had just begun.

In India, the ticket-buying spectator is the last priority for everyone, from the Board officials to players to police. From the time he buys a ticket, the cricket lover becomes part of the circle which swells the coffers of the administrators and the players but leaves him fending for himself.

A one-day international at any venue in India is a carnival which politicians, bureaucrats, and above all policemen, must watch free. It is a disgusting trend which leaves the cricket administrators helpless for they are dependant on these three sections of society for so-called smooth conduct of cricket matches.

There can be no greater hindrance than the police, brash and rude uniformly, in the smooth conduct of a cricket match. In places like Kanpur, Jaipur, Cuttack, Jodhpur, the police has allegedly been interfering with the official work and behaving in a high handed manner. The police virtually holds the local organisation to ransom in the name of making security arrangements, leaving the poor spectator in discomfort.

It is no secret that the local officials go underground during one-day matches, especially in Cuttack and Kanpur to avoid harrassment from the police and pass seekers. One can understand the pitiable position of Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) secretary, Mr. Jyoti Bajpai, who ends up repairing portions of his house after every international match in Kanpur, a `reward' from those denied free passes.

It is pertinent to note that the itinerant cricket reporters rarely get to meet the secretaries of the staging associations on the eve of the match but they surface appropriately at the prize distribution ceremony, not to forget the toss where officials, photographers, members of the media and the police invade the square. There is this irritating official from the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) who revels in placing himself at the right spot to figure in the television shots and pictures in newspapers.

Back to the poor spectator. He occupies the seat a good two to three hours before the match and waits to be treated with disdain by the police and the cricket officials, who, for years, have done little to improve the facilities for the paying public. The attitude of the police is what leaves one disappointed. ``Cricket in India is organised for policemen I think'' said a dejected Rahul Rastogi, a student who saved money to buy ticket to the Green Park but was thrown out because there was no space inside. What a shame that his valid ticket, bought after considerable toil, failed to gain him entry when all and sundry were escorted by the police in connivance with the local officials.

At the Green Park, the Barabati Stadium, the Ferozeshah Kotla, the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, the Barkatullah Khan Stadium, the story is the same. It is the khaki uniform which calls the shots even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) turns its back on the problems facing the spectators or the media. Officials like Raj Singh Dungarpur take great pride in narrating their passion for the game but come a cropper when pressed to list the progress made in terms of providing facilities to the two most important sections associated with the game-the press and the public. The Board secretary Mr. J. Y. Lele chooses the easy way out ``it is the problem of the local association'' but as a parent body the Board does little to improve things.

At Jodhpur, the National selectors were embarrassed and aghast as the observer appointed by the Board refused to issue passes to them. The reason : how to recognise them? The local association allotted an ill- equipped hotel for the selectors and the Board could do little about it. In recent times Jaipur and Mohali have provided better facilities for the selectors, and spectators too.

Why are spectators treated like cattle at international matches? Does a cricket lover not deserve decent treatment for supporting the game by buying a ticket to the match than those who sit in complimentary comfort. No roof from the scorching sun, drinking water highly priced, seat not guaranteed. The Board is least concerned about the paying public.

It is strange that the police, in all these years, has not learnt to control the trouble makers in the crowd and has treated everyone similarly. At many centres, women have stayed away for lack of security and genuine lovers of the game prefer the television at home. At least the fear of being caned or being driven out of the venue is not there when you follow action on television.

The lack of training is the main cause for police failing to control crowd invasion and missile throwing. Instead of facing the crowd, they happily engross themselves in the game and wake up when a missile lands or an invader beats the so-called security cordon. And then they chase and whip him, inviting more missiles. The scene at Jodhpur was most distressing for the organisers who had worked hard to stage the first one- day international at the Barkatullah Khan Stadium.

It is time the local officials, provided the Board is interested, took steps to ensure the paying public is treated with respect. And the police too must realise the responsibility towards the organisers and show compassion when dealing with those who flock to the venue to cheer their heroes.

Policemen trained in crowd control should be posted at cricket venues and not those who just prefer watching the contest.

The staging associations will need to protect cricket lovers like Anshuman Shukla and Rahul Rastogi, unsung but priceless contributors to the popularity of the game. They better act fast or else be prepared, at some time in the near future, for cricket to be reduced to a TV sport. How long would anyone suffer humiliation despite holding valid tickets to the match!

VIJAY LOKAPALLY

New Delhi

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