Palwal
The district administration has decided to regulate the entry of male spectators for the women kabaddi matches during the four-day Haryana Khel Mahakumb from October 14 and 17. This is to prevent hooting and indecent remarks against women players, it is learnt.

While men’s matches are to be held at Subhas Chandra Bose Stadium here, the women’s matches will be held at Government Girls’ Senior Secondary School, according to sources. A total of 1,584 players, 792 of them women, are expected to take part in the event.

“This decision may have been taken keeping in mind the unseemly scenes at the district-level kabaddi games at Government Boys’ Senior Secondary School here last month (September 24-30),’’ said an official.

“With spectators invariably outnumbering the police at such events, it is always difficult to keep the audience in discipline,” the official added.

Anita, a kabaddi player, agrees with this official. “Hooting and whistling to enthuse the participating teams is fine, but lewd comments are unacceptable,” she said. DC Mani Ram Sharma said the police and security staff would keep a close watch on spectators during the women’s matches.

“The girls’ school has been chosen as the venue for the women’s matches as entries here can be easily regulated unlike those at an open stadium,” he explained, adding the organisers only wanted to make sure there was no “unsavoury situation.”