India cricket fans suffer vile racist abuse at Test
POLICE are probing claims Indian cricket fans suffered shocking racist abuse during an England Test match.
Officers confirmed a probe was under way into derogatory insults that reportedly left women in tears on Monday.
The ECB is also investigating the incident at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.
Kushal Malde said fans faced “some of the worst abuse we’ve experienced at a match”. He added: “Some disgusting racism, ‘You smelly P***s’, for example.
“The stewards actually told Indian fans to sit down whilst allowing the abuse to go ahead.”
Anil Sehmi, the dhol (drum) player for the Bharat Army fans group, said supporters identified the culprits at least 10 times but got no response from staff.
He added: “We were also fearful of our safety for women and children but [got] no assistance when we left. This is unacceptable in today’s society.”
The racism claims were highlighted by former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq, who said it was “disappointing to read”.
His testimony to a Commons committee last year sparked an investigation into his claims of institutional racism at Yorkshire.
It resulted in ECB charges and major reforms.
In response to Rafiq’s latest concerns, Edgbaston officials said: “We’re incredibly sorry to read this and do not condone this behaviour in any way. We’ll be investigating this ASAP.”
Yesterday, England stars Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow steamrolled India to chase down a 378 target to clinch the Fifth Test.
But a shadow hangs over the match after videos showed an alleged offender abusing fans.
West Midlands Police has launched a criminal inquiry and urged witnesses to contact them.
An ECB spokesman added: “We are very concerned to hear reports of racist abuse. We are in contact with colleagues at Edgbaston, who will investigate.”