BCB warns BPL franchises after Dhaka fans cause commotion

A day after commotion reigned at the entrance to the Shere Bangla National Stadium as a throng of Dhaka Dynamites supporters approached the ground in support of their team, BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury has said the board has warned the franchise against such antics. Many of these supporters, who were led by the chairman of the Dhaka franchise Shayan F Rahman and came through the stadium's main entrance chanting "Dhaka, Dhaka", did not hold tickets or accreditation cards. Video footage of the incident showed scores of people falling over amid the commotion at the gate, though there were no injuries reported.

"The BCB president has condemned the incident," Nizamuddin said, more than 24 hours after the incident. "We have to remember that the match is in Dhaka and they were Dhaka supporters. It was an expression of their excitement. But the board has warned them so that they don't do it again."

The incident actually took place during the Chittagong Vikings-Rangpur Riders game, the match before Dhaka's on Sunday. After the large group had entered the premises, some cars followed them inside and then came the Dhaka team bus ahead of their opening game, against Comilla Victorians. TV cameras rushed to the scene as it unfolded and captured the stampede.

Witnesses said that there could have been many casualties had some of the security guards not opened up both parts of the gate. After the crowd was dispersed, hundreds of shoes and sandals were seen lying on either side of the gate. The routine security presence at the gate, which is in place to check tickets and accreditation cards, couldn't intervene much as the rush was unprecedented.

Mohammad Ali, a member of the BCB's security, who was seen clearing the way for the franchise owner Rahman while entering the stadium, said he knew about the plan beforehand and insisted that all those fans had tickets. "It was a rally and I knew about it. So they could come in. All of them had gone through body checks before we let them into the stands," Ali said. "All of them had tickets, yes. They had tickets."

However, hours after the incident, BPL general secretary Ismail Haider Mallick said that no franchise will be allowed to conduct another such event during the tournament. "It took us only five minutes to take care of the situation," Mallick said. "The franchise's supporters were coming with their team. We removed those who didn't have tickets. But there's no question about allowing such a thing the second time."