Virat Kohli Thanks Mumbai Police For Smooth Ride During India’s Rain-Hit T20 World Cup Victory Parade

New Delhi: Virat Kohli thanked Mumbai Police for a smooth transition of the Indian team from Nariman Point to Wankhede Stadium during the Men in Blue’s Victory Parade in Mumbai following their T20 World Cup win last week. An ocean of humanity greeted the victory parade of the T20 World Cup winning Indian team in South Mumbai’s Marine Drive as thousands of passionate fans gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars, bringing the traffic to a complete standstill. The two-hour open bus parade, which was delayed by two hours, started from the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Nariman Point at 7:30 PM and went to the Wankhede Stadium.

The distance is covered usually in five minutes but it took more than an hour as the players savoured the evening of their lives all drenched — not in rain but unadulterated love from their die-hard fans.

Deep respect and heartfelt thanks to all the officers and staff of @MumbaiPolice & @CPMumbaiPolice for doing a phenomenal job during Team India’s Victory Parade. Your dedication and service is highly appreciated. Jai Hind !

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 5, 2024

Mumbai Police remained on their toes all through Thursday evening as there was a stampede-like situation at several places along the route of the victory parade. About a dozen children went missing in the crowd but they were reunited with their parents, while four to five persons were admitted to hospital after they took ill, officials said.

While both lanes of Marine Drive road were jam-packed, people were seen clearing the way for an ambulance. Mumbai Police posted a video of the heartwarming scene on X and praised the spirit shown by the cricket fans.

Police had deployed a large number of personnel and made elaborate security arrangements between Marine Drive and Wankhede Stadium to avoid any untoward incident, said an official. As crowds pressed around the bus carrying the victorious cricket team from the NCPA to Wankhede stadium, there was a stampede-like situation at some points but police averted it, he said.

People were frisked as they entered Wankhede Stadium. Policemen in plain clothes were also stationed at some spots, the official added.  Western Railway announced that it would run an extra service for Borivali around 9.30 PM to clear the extra rush.

More than 400 Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police personnel were deployed for crowd management at Churchgate station but no untoward incident was reported, said a senior RPF official. The situation was chaotic at the Central Railway’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus as many train services were delayed.

Hundreds of vehicles were stuck in traffic at Marine Drive and on nearby roads since the evening. The victory parade started near NCPA, at the southern tip of Marine Drive, around 7.45 PM. As the bus inched towards Wankhede Stadium, it was escorted by hundreds of police personnel.