Cashing in on the popularity of cricket,the police in Vadodara are organising a cricket tournament in the city with the help of NGOs. The aim is to bridge the gap between religious communities as well as that between people and police.
As many as 32 teams will take part in the tournament and the first match will see Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana among those playing the game.
According to Makarpura Police Inspector R M Bhadoriya the cricket matches will be played from the evening till night and they have been named Qaumi Ekta Cricket Tournament,signifying communal harmony in Vadodara. Incidents such as that in Ahmedabads Shahpur area creates a bad impression regarding our state. Cricket will
act like a bridge between communities and between the police and the public. We hope to turn this
into an annual event, said Bhadoriya. He added that after the 2002 riots,cricket matches served the role of icebreakers between two communities.
Police officials said Rs 5,000 is being charged from the teams as registration fees.