A few days after the concert of Punjabi rockstar Diljit Dosanjh, garbage and liquor bottles were scattered all around the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. Athletes also complained about broken equipment, including food and drinks, in addition to littering by the crowd.
Delhi middle distance runner Beant Singh posted a video of the stadium on Instagram and alleged that he will not be allowed to train at the facility for the next 10 days.
Singh alleged in his video that the crowd destroyed the equipment used by the young athletes during the event. In a video interview with India Today, he said that his complaint is not against Diljit Dosanjh, but against the organizers who failed to manage the crowd and allowed them to litter the stadium.
“Indian athletes have been shown their status (aukat). Budding athletes practice here but people drank, danced and partied at this place. Due to this, the stadium will remain closed for 10 days. Athletics like hurdling Equipment has been broken and thrown around,” India Today Beant Singh has been quoted as saying in the video.
Singh also said that the incident shows disrespect towards athletes in the country.
“This is the state of sports, players and stadiums in India. There will be talented people who will tell once in four years that medals do not come in the Olympics. It is because there is no respect and support for players in this country.” ” He said.
As per the contract between Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Saregama India, the organizers have to hand over the same to SAI in ready condition by November 1.
For the concert, approximately 70,000 people attended over two days – 26 and 27 October. The cleaning will take at least 24 hours and the stadium is expected to be cleaned by October 29.
Diljit’s concert reactions:
Diljit’s concert in Delhi received a mix of enthusiastic praise and criticism from the attendees. Those who attended described it as “the best night of my life”, while some of them complained about poor management and organization at the venue, including chaotic entry and exit procedures.
Additionally, complaints related to ticketing issues were also raised as some fans alleged that the organizers were engaged in scalping and malpractice, which led to tickets quickly becoming unavailable and being resold at inflated prices.
