INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Indian Premier League matches that were to be held in Chennai, have been moved out of the city in view of yesterday's massive protests by
Cauvery activists, said sources in Indian cricket body BCCI
The new venue for the matches will be announced soon.Political parties and fringe groups have demanded that all the IPL matches scheduled to
be held in Chennai, be cancelled till the centre forms the Cauvery Water Management Board
The centre, they say, is playing politics over the issue and a blanket cancellation, they expect, will drive the message home
One group -- Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi or TVK -- even threatened to release live snakes into the stadium if no cancellation
happened.Yesterday, thousands of activists descended on Anna Salai, the arterial road near the Chepauk Stadium, asking fans to boycott the
cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.Though the match was held amid tight security, slippers were seen flying
inside the stadium and yellow jerseys of Chennai Super Kings were burnt
Five spectators, who allegedly threw the slippers, were later detained by the police.In some areas, there were scuffles between the
Fans were forced to take off the jerseys of their cricket teams, which were also set on fire
In some areas, policemen who tried to intervene, bore the brunt of the protesters' anger
Nearly 800 people were temporarily detained
what appeared an attack on the police on Twitter
The accompanying message read: "The worst form of violence is the assault on uniformed personnel"
Earlier, he said holding cricket matches when Cauvery protests are on, is an "embarrassment".In February, the Supreme Court had directed the
Centre to form a body that will implement water-sharing between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Puducherry and Kerala by March 29 according to a
As the deadline expired, the Centre filed an appeal in top court, asking for clarifications on the structure of the body.Cutting across
party lines, political leaders from Tamil Nadu have accused the BJP of trying to score political points in Karnataka, where assembly
elections will be held in May.
