Before their T20 match against India in Gwalior, the Bangladesh cricket team decided to skip their planned visit to the city's Moti Masjid on Friday and instead offered prayers at their hotel, according to a police official.
"We had made full security arrangements around Moti Masjid, but the Bangladesh team didn’t show up. No group had issued any threats regarding their visit," Gwalior Zone Inspector General Arvind Saxena told PTI.
The mosque, located in the Phoolbagh area, is around 3 km from the hotel where the Bangladesh squad is staying.
Security beefed up in Gwalior
Security in the city has been heightened following a call for a ‘Gwalior bandh’ on match day by right-wing groups protesting alleged violence against Hindus in Bangladesh since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August.
"It looks like the team management decided to skip the mosque visit," Saxena said.
Prayers in team hotel
Instead, the city’s top Muslim cleric, ‘Shahar Qazi,’ went to the hotel and led the team in their Friday prayers from 1 pm to 2:30 pm. Despite the last-minute change, police had made extensive security arrangements at the mosque, where several journalists had also gathered.
The Bangladesh team has been practicing at Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, which is about 23 km from their hotel. They’ve been following their practice schedule with full security cover.
“Securing their 3 km trip to the mosque was never a problem on our end,” Saxena added.
For Sunday’s India-Bangladesh T20I match, over 2,500 police officers will be on duty. Cops will be on the streets starting from 2 pm and remain on guard until fans safely head home after the game. Police are also monitoring social media closely for any provocative content.
