Millennium City becomes show spoiler

The Millennium City may be turning into a no show capital. After the Metallica fiasco last month at the Leisure Valley Ground, north India's first Motocross show at the same venue on Saturday failed to create any buzz as most cautious fans chose to stay home.

The Millennium City may be turning into a no show capital. After the Metallica fiasco last month at the Leisure Valley Ground, north India's first Motocross show at the same venue on Saturday failed to create any buzz as most cautious fans chose to stay home.

HT Image

Moreover, a stampede-like situation was witnessed at a city mall on Sunday when 200 fans heckled the star cast of 'Dirty Picture' after a cast member didn't turn up.

Apart from poor preparation on the organisers' part, insufficient deployment of police forces is also a glaring gap.

"The Metallica mess could have been avoided if there were enough policemen around," said an annoyed fan. There was hardly any Gurgaon police presence to manage the crowd - approximately 30,000 people - as the 100 private security men tried to manage fans who had gone berserk after the show was called off. At the Motocross show, HT couldn't spot even a single policeman. There have been major issues with crowd management earlier too - during the Bryan Adams show at Leisure Valley Ground earlier this year and freestyle wrestler Khali's event at the Tau Devi Lal stadium last year.

"We constantly get intelligence inputs and act accordingly. We have always responded to emergencies and managed to control things," said Maheshwar Dayal, DCP (east).

"The way Gurgaon police and the organisers give security a slip is baffling," said the head of a private security agency, who requested anonymity. The firm has managed crowds at significant events across the country.