It was a bruising day of conflicting emotions as Cauvery flowed into IPL. Chennai had not seen a contentious day of the demonstration of anger like this for a long time. On the one hand was the tribal loyalty of cricket fans waiting for their favourite team in action on home turf. On the other was the determination of politically-inspired Cauvery protesters to make their opposition to the IPL in Chennai at this time known.
In the end it is futile as the city has now lost the IPL. The remaining six home games of CSK have been shunted out by the BCCI for whom it must make sense as player safety is their primary consideration. The shoes hurled at the players by miscreants who sneaked into the stadium shows how the tightest security can be breached. And cricket would not want to take the least chance with such threats.
Chennai and Tamil Nadu can repent at leisure now. This is a pity as cricket seemed to have even on such a tense day. While the scenes outside the cricket stadium were ominously violent, the love for the game and affection for its followers was in evidence in plenty. The bonhomie among Shah Rukh Khan, the glamorous superstar of Bollywood and team owner, and Dhoni’s wife and daughter was on delectable show. So too Shah Ruksh’s generous applause for CSK after it squeezed through in an exciting chase in the final over. Cricket was the clear winner in those lovely scenes.
It was unfortunate then that the lumpen elements among the Cauvery protesters should have taken the law into their own hands and gone around assaulting policemen on duty. Superstar Rajinikanth may have supported the call to agitate for the CMB and had also expressed his opinion against the IPL, saying he was embarrassed that the league should go on at this time in the state. But he would have least expected that the agitators would protest in this manner.
It was bedlam on Chennai streets around the Chepuk stadium. CSK fans were assaulted and policemen who were isolated in standing guard were targeted by protesters who beat many of them up. “This form of violence has to be tackled immediately as it poses grave danger to our country. We need more stringent laws to punish the perpetrators of attack on police personnel on duty,” Rajini said. The actor also put up a video of protestors attacking policemen along with his tweet.
The superstar was trolled on the social media since he had made the call to oppose the IPL. But he was hitting the nail on the head in saying violence should not be part of any protest, however justified the Tamil Nadu cause in the CMB issue may be. The IPL should not have been dragged into Cauvery politics in the first place. Having done that by saying CSK players should wear black badges at play, Rajini found himself on dubious ground when members of violent fringe Tamil groups took to the streets.
It was sad to know one of the most visible of CSK fans should have been assaulted and beaten repeatedly for doing what he loves best - donning yellow paint and supporting a cricket team. Did this innocent cricket lover deserve such treatment when he, as a Tamil, also supports the Cauvery cause? The agitators were bound to lose friends for their behaviour on a tense day. But was it not the duty of the mighty state to ensure that the IPL was played? Why target state symbols like cops who are just doing their duty?
