3 min readChennaiFeb 10, 2026 08:45 AM IST
First published on: Feb 10, 2026 at 08:45 AM IST
Along with keys, coins and sharp objects, the Chennai police on Sunday asked cricket fans who turned up for the T20 World Cup game between New Zealand and Afghanistan to leave a popular local match-day accessory at the gate — the whistle.
On Monday, the unusual police action took a political turn h Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the new party founded by Tamil movie superstar Vijay, alleging that the move was aimed at undermining their election symbol — the whistle.
Targeting the DMK government, with state elections due this year, TVK general secretary Raj Mohan said: “The whistle sound has echoed in Chennai’s stadiums for years, and even songs have been made about whistles. But now that TVK has been allotted the whistle symbol, they are scared. They would even ban whistles used by bus conductors and traffic police out of fear.”
It turns out that before the T20 World Cup, the ICC had sent a note to all host venues with a list of banned items, which included the whistle. “The ICC list bans whistles so we didn’t allow the fans to go inside with them,” said a police officer.
The whistle holds a special place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, home of the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings, which came up with the popular “Whistle Podu” (Blow the whistle) slogan. Incidentally, Vijay’s last movie, GOAT (2024), featured a hit number which included a “Whistle Podu” reference.
The Election Commission had allotted the whistle as TVK’s poll symbol last month. Taking to X at the time, Vijay had called it “a symbol of victory” and an “expression of joy”.
On Sunday, those in the queue to enter the stadium were surprised by the police directive. “When they frisked me, they wanted to know if I had a whistle. Although I didn’t carry one, those in the queue ahead of me were not allowed to take whistles into the stadium,” S Arun, who was at the World Cup game, told this newspaper.
It now remains to be seen whether CSK fans will be allowed to carry whistles to the stadium for the BCCI’s IPL starting March-end.
Acknowledging that it was a delicate situation, CSK MD and CEO Kasi Viswanathan told The Indian Express: “We have not been told anything so far. A clear picture will emerge only when the code (model code of conduct) is out. For us, the ‘Whistle Podu’ tag is for supporting the franchise. We have to see how the situation evolves.”
In the past, police and stadium authorities have stopped spectators from displaying political messages. During the 2025 IPL, when Vijay’s fans carried their party’s flag into the stadium for a few matches, it was confiscated. The Chennai police had used AI and face-recognition software to identify those who entered the stadium with political placards and to catch mobile-phone thieves.
Chennai police barred whistles at the stadium on Sunday, asking fans attending the T20 World Cup match to leave the popular match-day accessory outside along with other prohibited items. (PTI File) 
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