Indians down under react sharply to Panesar abuse

Melbourne, Nov 18 (UNI) While Cricket Australia's honchos are busy hosing down the racial abuse of English cricketer Monty Panesar, some Indo-Australians have reacted sharply to the incident.

Panesar, the first Sikh to play for England, was reportedly taunted as ''stupid Indian'' in the warm-up match played at SCG in Sydney.

''It is absolutely appalling to learn that such racial abuse was levelled at a person of the calibre of Mr. Panesar,'' said Prabhat Sinha, president of an umbrella body of the Indian organisations in Sydney, United Indian Associations Inc (UIA).

''He is a valuable member of the visiting English team and has made all Indian Australians proud,'' Mr Sinha further said in the statement released to the media.

''On behalf of the United Indian Associations, I condemn in the strongest terms such improper behaviour and racial remarks that were accorded to Mr. Monty Panesar at the recent match in SCG,'' the Sydney-based surgeon added.

Dr Sinha's counterpart in Melbourne, president of Federation of Indian Associations in Victoria (FIAV) Shabbir Wahid has also taken a hard stance against the reported racial remarks.

''These kind of comments are unwarranted and offensive and the FIAV condemns such comments and actions in the most strongest of terms,'' Mr Wahid said in a statement.

''Perhaps this is more evidence of the rather sad and regrettable deterioration of the true spirit of sportsmanship in Australia,'' he added.

''Such comments and behaviour by Australian cricket fans is deplorable,'' says the editor of Indian Post Rekha Bhatta.

''But we should also show the same kind of disdain for sections of the Barmy Army who have showering insults on Shane Warne and other Australian cricketers for years,'' the Sydney-based journalist and community leader adds.

''We strongly condemn such racial utterances by Australian crowd and appeal to all to show the sportsmanship for which we are renowned for,'' Moninder Singh, Coordinator of the Sydney-based Punjabi Council of Australia and Media Coordinator UIA said in a statement.

Madhusudan Singh 'Monty' Panesar, who wears a 'patka' on his unshorn hair and has a flowing beard, was warned of the likelihood of racist comments by the partisan Australian crowds months before landing in Australia.

Apart from Panesar, his teammate Kevin Pietersen was also subjected to racial abuse in Australia.

British Sports Minister Richard Caborn rued the incident and has announced that he would raise the issue with his Australian counterpart.

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