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Race panel chief held after Lord's cliff-hanger

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON JULY 16. In a bizarre off-the-field twist to India's dramatic victory over England in the cliff-hanger at Lord's last Saturday, the high-profile Chairman of Britain's Commission for Racial Equality, Gurbux Singh, and his wife were arrested for their "potentially violent conduct'' as they left the grounds, apparently in a mood that the Bobby-on-the-beat did not quite appreciate.

They were handcuffed, taken to the nearest police station and let off after a pep talk but the threat of further action has not gone away. Police said they were studying the CCTV footage of the incident before deciding whether to bring charges against him.

The circumstances surrounding the incident are not fully known but the police told newspapers that Mr. Singh behaved in a "disorderly'' fashion and used "threatening'' language to those around him. His wife fell foul of the law when she tried to prevent the police from arresting him. Mr. Singh has not denied the incident but declined to comment until police inquiries were completed.

The Scotland Yard in a statement said: "At 1900 hours, a spectator stumbled into an office from behind. The officers spoke to the 51-year-old man but despite efforts by officers and those with the man to persuade him to calm himself, he behaved in a disorderly manner to those around him and to the police officer.'' He also allegedly used "threatening words''.

Mr. Singh, who has often spoken publicly about his passion for cricket and the Indian cricket team, admitted in a brief statement that "at the end of the match there was an incident that led to my wife and I being detained by the police'' and we were "both subsequently released without charge.''

The incident was seen as a major embarrassment for the CRE chief who has often ruffled feathers on both sides of the racial divide with his hectoring tone. There was even speculation whether he would be able to hold on to his lucrative and influential job. But sympathisers sought to play it down saying that though clearly Mr. Singh got a bit carried away, "a little excitement'' on a day like that was to be expected. Nor did his enthusiasm for the Indian team diminish his credentials as a neutral arbiter of race relations.

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