Fans clash with police outside Nagpur stadium

Police officers wielding sticks try to control a crowd of fans outside the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, March 8, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer 

By Reuters

NAGPUR, India (Reuters) - Police on Tuesday clashed with hundreds of fans seeking tickets for India's World Cup showdown against South Africa, the incident again highlighting the country's inability to handle the huge demand for seats.

Twelve days after similar scenes were witnessed in Bangalore, stick-wielding police battered fans in front of the ticket counter at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, however, defended the action taken by the police.

"I don't think the police enjoy beating people for the sake of it. It could have been a stampede-like situation that forced them to lathicharge (charge with sticks)," he said in Delhi.

"They (police) should not be projected in a bad light all the time."

Asked if the root of the problem was because only a limited number of tickets was available to the public, Dhoni responded light-heartedly: "I have got five tickets. If anyone is interested in buying, they can contact me."

His five tickets for Saturday's Group B match would hardly meet the demands of the Nagpur fans who were seen clambering over each other in a desperate attempt to get to the front of the box-office window.

Spectators had been queuing up behind wooden barricades since Monday evening after learning that a limited number of tickets would be made available.

A Reuters witness said sections of the crowd became restless on Tuesday morning and started climbing over the barriers, breaking them down, which forced the police to take action.

The ticket counter remained closed as police tried to control the crowds swarming outside the area.

"I have been here since last night. Many villagers who had also come here for tickets slept outside the stadium as they waited for the ticket counter to open. When the counter opened, there was a huge rush to buy the tickets," Ram Dixit told Reuters Television in Hindi.

"Police baton-charged the people as they tried to control the crowd. I could not get a ticket so I will have to watch the match on television."

The International Cricket Council (ICC) declined to discuss the matter while India's own cricket board (BCCI) could not be reached for comment.

Last month's violence in Bangalore erupted after tens of thousands of fans who had camped overnight outside the 38,400-seat M Chinnaswamy Stadium were told all 7,000 tickets allocated for public sale for the February 27 India v England game had been sold.

Police also used batons to control the angry fans on that occasion.

Ticket sales for the February 19-April 2 tournament have proven to be a major headache for Indian organisers, who are unable to meet demand for the high-profile matches, especially those featuring the home team as well as the April 2 final in Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.

PAWAR ACCUSED

Tuesday's episode is likely to raise further questions about the way tickets are being distributed in the cricket-crazy nation.

Only a small quota for the major matches are being sold directly to the public, while the rest are distributed among the ICC and clubs affiliated to the local cricket associations.

Last month, the ICC accused its own president, Sharad Pawar, of mismanaging the way tickets were being distributed and warned that tickets for the final should not be sold at the box office because the high demand created the "potential for chaos and physical injury when the box office sales open."

The official online website selling just a 1,000 tickets for the final crashed after 10 million hits were recorded in just 20 minutes by fans desperate to see the final. As a result, a ballot system was later announced to cope with the huge demands.

(Additional reporting by Aslan Chakraborty; Writing by Pritha Sarkar in Mumbai; Editing by John O'Brien)