Police probe racism claims after fan abuse at England-India Test

England鈥檚 Jonny Bairstow celebrates after their win on the fifth day of the fifth cricket test match between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham Tuesday. (AP)
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  • The Bharat Army said "many" of its members at the Edgbaston ground had been targeted by "a very small minority" in Monday's fourth day of play
  • Inquiries are being made to identify an alleged offender whose image was circulated on social media

BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom: Police have launched an investigation after India fans claimed they were racially abused during England鈥檚 fifth Test victory in Birmingham.
The Bharat Army, the official India supporters鈥� club, said 鈥渕any鈥� of its members at the Edgbaston ground had been targeted by 鈥渁 very small minority鈥� in Monday鈥檚 fourth day of play.
A post on the group鈥檚 Twitter account read: 鈥淪ad to say many of our members experienced racist abuse from a very small minority of individuals. We will work with @Edgbaston to share all your feedback.
鈥淭hank you to those England fans who stood by us.鈥�
West Midlands Police on Tuesday said they were liaising with officials at Edgbaston to understand what happened.
Inquiries are being made to identify an alleged offender whose image was circulated on social media.
The England and Wales Cricket Board said: 鈥淲e are very concerned to hear reports of racist abuse at today鈥檚 Test match. We are in contact with colleagues at Edgbaston, who will investigate. There is no place for racism in cricket.鈥�
Stuart Cain, chief executive at Edgbaston, added: 鈥淚鈥檓 gutted by these reports as we鈥檙e working hard to make Edgbaston a safe, welcoming environment for all.
鈥淗aving seen the initial tweets, I鈥檝e spoken personally to the gentleman who raised them and we鈥檙e now speaking to the stewards in this area to establish what happened.
鈥淣obody should be subject to any form of abuse at Edgbaston. So, once we鈥檝e got all the facts, we will make sure this issue is addressed swiftly.鈥�
Former Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq retweeted a thread detailing some of the alleged incidents along with the comment: 鈥淒isappointing to read.鈥�
His evidence to a parliamentary select committee last year sparked an investigation into his claims of institutional racism at Yorkshire which resulted in ECB charges and major reforms.
England won the fifth Test on Tuesday鈥檚 final day after centuries from Yorkshire pair Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow.