News
Sticks and stones broke cricket’s bonesWitnesses tell of fright as clash ignited
Sri Lanka, a land of cricket enthusiasts, in times past bore defeat or celebrated victory in harmless ways. So when two specatator groups clashed in Block D of the R. Premadasa stadium, which is right in front of the Masjidus Salam Jumma Masjid mosque, during the third one-day international match last Sunday between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, there was widespread shock.
After the clash: The safety barrier around the stadium Pic by Amila Gamage
“Until halfway through the match there was no violence. It was a normal ‘cricket match day’ with boys laughing loud and fans cheering,” said Navas Kadan, 38, a father of two and a resident of Khettarama in Maligawatta.
Then around 8.30-9pm a man had come running out of the stadium shouting that a riot had broken out between two groups.“After that there were people rushing out of the stadium and some were screaming. We knew that this was not a good situation because nothing like this has ever happened before,” Mr. Kadan said. Bottles and stones had been thrown from inside the stadium at the residents outside.
Mr. Kadan saw women injured and bleeding, running for help. “There were clearly not enough police to handle the crowd,” he said. “It was crazy.“As the clash continued, young men from the area came to fight too.”
A resident near the mosque who did not wish to be named, said she had been with her children when they had heard women shouting for help and angry voices of men shouting at each other. She said the bottles that had been thrown from inside the stadium had hit houses and crashed onto the road outside, making the situation even more frightening.
“We were scared and our children were scared too. They kept crying. My husband asked me to stay inside the house and went to see what was happening,” she said. After a stone landed on the playing ground the cricket officials suspended the match until order was restored. The umpires ordered players to stay in the dressing rooms as a precaution. Anti-riot squads were deployed to clear two spectator blocks.
Police said the clash had been sparked by an argument between two groups, some of whose members had been drunk. A bloody fight ensued when the men had begun attacking each other with soft drink and beer bottles. A police source told the Sunday Times that during the brawl a bottle had landed in the mosque, shattering glass there. “Then the residents got involved. They started to attack with stones and wooden planks,” the source said.
Three police constables, one a woman, were injured after being struck by stones. CCTV cameras in the stadium were damaged along with 18 vehicles including three-wheelers, cars and vans and the mosque and nearby houses. Four individuals were arrested and identified as residents from Maradana and Keselwatta areas.
“We have video footage and will be checking it to identify other persons who were involved. We have also recorded 74 police statements regarding the incidents,” police said adding that stern action would be taken against those who had instigated and participated in the riot.
Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee secretary Prakash Schaffter said safety measures had been taken to avoid another riot occurring at the fourth ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the same stadium on Wednesday (July 22).
Safety nets were put around the blocks in which Sunday’s riot had broken out and a large group of police constables and army personnel were deployed in and around the area. The spectators were thoroughly checked before they were allowed into the stadium. The match concluded peacefully that day even though Pakistan won by seven wickets.
