
When Mumbai police were informed yesterday by ICC match referee Chris Broad about spectators making monkey gestures at the Australian team, the security team faced a unique problem 8212; what do they detain them for?
8220;There is no provision for punishment for racial abuse in the Indian Penal Code. Besides, the gestures that they were making could not be construed as 8216;racial8217; in nature. Finally, we arrested the four youngsters, including a female, under provisions of Section 110 behaving indecently in public of the Bombay Police Act,8221; says Deputy Commissioner of Police Brijesh Singh.
So what did he do before releasing them today? 8220;Instructions were given to the officers at the police station not to treat them harshly. They were just some harmless youngsters and not some hardened criminals. We even allowed them to watch the rest of the cricket match on TV in the police station,8221; said Singh with a laugh. The four spectators 8212; a couple, a 27-year-old student and a 29-year-old from South Mumbai8217;s Napeansea Road 8212; were spotted by ICC officials on TV who then alerted the match referee, said police. An Australian journalist had also alerted the ICC after he saw the four jumping up and down in the stands, imitating a monkey.