Black T-shirts blacked out to thwart protest bid at Chinnaswamy stadium

BENGALURU: Police at the

M Chinnaswamy Stadium

here on Friday red-flagged spectators wearing black T-shirts, jackets and caps. Just before Pakistan's World Cup match against

Australia

, there was chaos at the entry points to some of the stands on Queens Road and Cubbon Road after police told spectators in black attire to change into clothing of some other colour before entering the stadium.
According to police sources, possibilities of pro-Palestine demonstrations by a section of spectators at the stadium prompted enforcement of this last-minute 'dress code'.

Aditya Venkataram was among those whose T-shirt made it to a pile of black outfits outside the stadium.

"There was no advisory as to any colour restriction for the match. It was absurd that the police told me to wear a T-shirt of a colour other than black and remove my black cap. I had bought an India jersey and wore it on my black T-shirt, but they wouldn't allow me entry until I discarded the black T-shirt," the 21-year-old said.
Police check banners & placards at stadium
Higher ups inda order bandide (orders from the higher ups)," was all a policeman on duty would share when asked about this sudden diktat against black clothing. "There should have been some sort of a communication. It seemed like fans were being treated as an afterthought. It wasn't like we were trying to create trouble," said Purujit Ponnappa, a chartered accountant, who too was forced to discard his black T-shirt. Women sporting black tops too were told to change into a different colour before they could enter.

A senior police officer, who did not want to be named, told TOI: "There were intelligence inputs about some pro-Palestine supporters having decided to condemn the Israeli attack on Palestine by wearing black [at the stadium during the match]." He further said: "There were messages doing the rounds on social media with appeals to participate in a demonstration during the match and thereby draw global attention. It was in this backdrop that instructions were issued to officers deployed in and around the stadium to not allow those wearing black." Even banners and placards were checked for any message with a political or pro-Palestine overture before those were allowed inside.
The security checks were not totally out of place, though, as some people did come to the stadium with Palestinian flags painted on their faces. While some managed to sneak past security unnoticed, few others were told to wash their faces before being allowed entry to the stands.
Police, however, clarified that they did not impose any blanket ban on black clothing and were only trying to screen likely mischief-mongers.
While senior citizens in black were allowed inside, youngsters were told to remove black T-shirts, jackets and caps before entering the stadium, police said. Pakistan team jerseys were sparingly available at the match venue, but many who managed to get those were turned away at the gate.
"I was told I won't be allowed to enter, wearing a Pakistan jersey. So, I bought a Chennai Super Kings jersey from a street vendor and had to discard the Pakistan jersey I was initially wearing," rued Rakshak, a

Babar Azam

fan. Police, though, refuted complaints that Pakistani jerseys were not allowed into the stadium.