A spectator being frisked before the match at the Eden Gardens on Saturday. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Calcutta, April 17: Spectators have been advised not to carry bags to the Eden Gardens on Monday for the Kolkata Knight Riders match following the blasts in Bangalore.

“Carrying hand bags or any other bag except the ladies’ purse is strictly prohibited by the police authorities for entry into the Eden Gardens during the ensuing IPL tournament match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Mumbai Indians scheduled on 19th April, 2010, because of security reasons,” the Cricket Association of Bengal said in a statement.

The Bangalore explosions had an immediate fallout on the Eden, where the Knight Riders took on the Rajasthan Royals a few hours later today.

Hours before the start of the Eden match, the number of policemen deployed in and around the ground was stepped up. Frisking was tightened and an X-ray machine was installed in front of the VIP enclosure at the BC Roy Club House.

“We pressed into service an additional 100 plain-clothed policemen from the special branch. They were deployed around the stadium, covering a 1-km radius,” said Jawed Shamim, the joint commissioner of police, headquarters.

The police also checked the bags of Club House invitees, an officer deployed in front of the Eden Gardens said.

Nearly 1,500 policemen had been deployed during the previous matches at Eden. “Today we decided to increase the number to 2,000. We do not want a single spectator to enter the stadium without going through our check,” an officer said.

During earlier IPL matches at the stadium, the police used to check a spectator’s bag twice at the gates. But today, the bags were checked five to six times. The police also physically frisked spectators.

The gates were opened a little later than usual today. “We conducted a thorough search of the galleries. We were asked to check each and every seat, staircases and other places,” another officer said.

Women were allowed to carry vanity bags inside the stadium. Male spectators, especially those going to the stadium directly from office, were not allowed to carry their office bags inside the stadium.