Bhubaneswar, March 15 : Over 30 activists of the Kalinga Sena, a fringe political outfit in Orissa, were Monday arrested at the Biju Patnaik Airport here for protesting against the Australian players in the Indian Premier League (IPL), police said.
Hundreds of Kalinga Sena activists staged a protest when the Deccan Chargers team arrived at the airport for an IPL matche to be played at Cuttack's Barabati Stadium March 19.
However, before the protesters could reach the team, the players were whisked away amid tight security to their hotel.
"We have detained more than 30 people when they were protesting at the Biju Pattnaik Airport," said Himanshu Lal, Bhubaneswar deputy commissioner of police.
Police cane charged the slogan-shouting protesters when they attempted to break through the police cordon.
The Kalinga Sena had earlier threatened to disrupt IPL matches in Cuttack unless Australian cricketers were barred from playing and the cheerleaders were excluded from the game.
Cuttack, a non-IPL franchisee city, got a chance to host matches after the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chargers picked Barabati Stadium as a venue, terming it as their "catchment" area.
The Deccan Chargers will meet Kings XI Punjab March 19 and Delhi Daredevils March 21.
© IANS
