At least 17,000 security personnel to be deployed for Champions Trophy in Pakistan
Lahore, Jan 22 (PTI): At least 17,000 security personnel would be deployed for the ICC Champions Trophy matches in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi from February 19.
According to sources, the Punjab government has started preparations to provide security round the clock for the participating teams, covering the team hotel as well as the match venues in Lahore and Rawalpindi.
“The Punjab government will deploy some 12,500 officers and other security personnel for the matches and for the teams,” an official said.
He added that 7,600 police and security personnel including special commandos will be on duty for matches in Lahore, while 4,500 officers, including 411 from the Special Branch, will oversee security in Rawalpindi.
The official said that snipers and aerial monitoring will be carried out during the tournament with support from the Army if required.
He said the paramilitary Rangers personnel would be on active duty with the police.
In Karachi, a spokesperson for the Sindh police said that the commissioner had already held meetings to oversee security arrangements for the matches at the National Stadium.
“Plans are being drawn up and at least 5000 or more security personnel including units of the Sindh police would be deployed for the matches, on routes and at team hotels.”
Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup in 2023 but staged only four games with all the other matches held in Sri Lanka after India refused to send its team to Pakistan which they have also done for the Champions Trophy.
This time the PCB will be hosting a minimum of 11 Champions Trophy matches and perhaps even the final and before that it will host New Zealand and South Africa in a short tri-series in Lahore and Karachi. India will their games in Dubai.
Karachi will not only host the opening match of the Champions Trophy on February 19 but also two games of the tri-series on February 12 and 14.
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Delhi court sentences Haryana gangster Vikas Gulia, associate to life imprisonment
New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court has sentenced Haryana gangster Vikas Gulia and his associate to life imprisonment under MCOCA provisions, but refused the death penalty saying the offences did not fall under the category of 'rarest of the rare cases'.
Additional Sessions Judge Vandana Jain sentenced Gulia and Dhirpal alias Kana to rigorous imprisonment for life under Section 3 (punishment for organised crime) of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
In an order dated December 13, the judge said, "Death sentence can only be awarded in 'rarest of the rare cases' wherein the murder is committed in an extremely inhumane, barbarous, grotesque or dastardly manner as to arouse umbrage of the community at large."
The judge said that on weighing the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, it could be concluded that the present case did not fall under the category, and so, the death penalty could not be imposed upon the convicts.
"Thus, both the convicts are sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs 3 lakh each, for committing the offence under Section 3 of MCOCA," she said.
The public prosecutor, seeking the death penalty for both the accused, submitted that they were involved in several unlawful activities while they were on bail in other cases.
He argued that the accused had shown no respect for the law and acted without any fear of legal consequences, and therefore did not deserve any leniency from the court.
The court noted that both convicts were involved in offences of murder, attempt to murder, extortion, robbery, house trespass, and criminal intimidation. Besides, they had misused the liberty of interim bail granted to them by absconding.
It said, "The terror of the convicts was such that it created fear psychosis in the mind of the general public, and they lost complete faith in the law enforcement agencies and chose to accede to the illegal demands of convicts. Despite suffering losses, they could not gather the courage to depose against them."
The court noted that Gulia was involved in at least 18 criminal cases, while Dhirpal had links to 10 serious offences.
It underlined that MCOCA had been enacted "keeping in view the fact that organised crime had come up as a serious threat to society, as it knew no territorial boundaries and is fuelled by illegal wealth generated by committing the offence of extortion, contract killings, kidnapping for ransom, collection of protection money, murder, etc."
Both accused persons had been convicted on December 10 in a case registered at Najafgarh police station. The police filed a chargesheet under Section 3 (punishment for organised crime) and 4 (punishment for possessing unaccountable wealth on behalf of member of organised crime syndicate) of MCOCA.
