Mistake to shift IPL from Hyd: Home secy
New Delhi, Feb. 19: Dismissing reports of terror threats in Hyderabad, Union home secretary G.K. Pillai declared in an exclusive interview to this newspaper on Friday that it was quite "safe" to hold IPL matches in the Andhra region. He added that if so needed, the Centre was prepared to provide adequate security for the matches if these were held in Hyderabad.
Mr Pillai, speaking openly for the first time on the issue, said: "It was a not a correct decision to cancel IPL mateches in Hyderabad. There was no terrorist threat there... only the Telaganga issue." The home secretary pointed out that the Joint Action Committee (JAC) which was spearheading the Telangana agitation had "given a categorical assurance that they would not disrupt the event."
It may be recalled that the IPL organisers had shifted the matches due to the continuing Telangana agitation. The intelligence and security agencies had also been talking of terror modules active in the southern states.
On how safe Hyderabad was as a venue for the matches, the home secretary said categorically: "I am quite prepared to go out and say, look, if the IPL is in Hyderabad, it is safe. We will provide the security." Seven IPL-3 matches had earlier been scheduled to be played in Hyderabad.
The IPL board’s decision to not allow matches to be held in either Hyderabad or Vishakhapatnam, home base of the Deccan Chargers, led to outrage across Andhra Pradesh. A series of protest letters had been sent to the IPL authorities, the Board of Control for Cricket in India as well as to former BCCI chief and International Cricket Council president-elect Sharad Pawar on the matter.
Mr Pillai told this newspaper that the IPL board’s decision to pull the matches out of Hyderabad was "hasty". He went on: "My assessment is that it was a hasty decision by the IPL." Asked if the IPL board had consulted the Centre on the security aspects of the tournament, which begins next month, Mr Pillai said: "They did not ask us. I don’t know whether anyone else had formally told them anything."
On security for other major sporting events in India, including the proposed Hockey World Cup, Mr Pillai said: "All other events are as per schedule. The Hockey World Cup is on schedule. We will provide adequate security."
The home secretary was, however, evasive when asked about the Centre’s move to initiate the process for a separate state of Telangana. He said he was "not really in a position to say anything", and added: "This is a political decision taken at the highest level. I don’t think I should answer the question."
Sanjay Basak and Namrata Biji Ahuja
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