Aussie fans arrested for offensive tees: report

[DomainK]

It’s not just Australia’s cricketers who are having a tough time of it in Mohali, where some travelling fans have also found themselves in a spot of bother. PTI has reported that a group of Australian spectators was hauled away by police for wearing t-shirts with offensive slogans. "The slogans written were 'Beer with Mahatma, Bets with Gupta, Dancing with Indira and still getting runs',†a police officer told PTI. "We took strong objection to it and summoned them ... they apologised before us, saying their intention was not to hurt anyone's sentiments. We let them off with a warning and sent them to their hotel to get their dresses changed.†One of the group told the Times of India they had not intended to cause any trouble. "All was harmless fun,†the spectator said. “We are on a tour to enjoy India, its culture, its people and cricket. So if we have offended anybody we apologise, but it was not intentional.†http://blogs.cricinfo.com/thebuzz/archives/2008/10/police_get_shirty_over_aussie.php

[sm332]

thats fine ... they were notified and they changed ... not a big story here

[flamy]

Kids got carried away. No big deal. They gitta find some way to keep themselves in good spirits :D

[Rajiv]

By now, they should know that India cannot accept this kind of humor, again - comes back to the " off from the world " deal, they are visiting outside their rock and don't really know the realities. Its NOT all about lazy beer drinking, but these must be some few of those newbies who managed to buy a plane ticket after a summer job

[Kohum]

They gitta find some way to keep themselves in good spirits

you is the right !!

[Zap_Brannigan]

WTF?? Freedom of speech be damned! Maybe next time they should try "Welcome to India, the humorless zone"

[Rajiv]

:haha: " Welcome to India, now use a Lota "

[arkay]

Aussie fans arrested for offensive tees: report Aussie fans arrested for offensive tees: report The T-shirts as displayed on the Times of India website. The slogans written were 'Beer with Mahatma, Bets with Gupta, Dancing with Indira and still getting runs' Advertisement Arjun Ramachandran October 21, 2008 - 6:52AM As the Australian cricket team stare down the barrel of a humiliating defeat in India, amid reports of a spat between Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee, things don't seem to be much better for Aussie fans following the side in India. A group of fans watching the Mohali Test were arrested by police for wearing T-shirts with offensive slogans, the Press Trust of India reports. Today, we found some Australian fans wearing these T-shirts," a police officer said. "The slogans written were 'Beer with Mahatma, Bets with Gupta, Dancing with Indira and still getting runs'. "We took strong objection to it and summoned them." The slogans have been interpreted as a reference to revered Indian political and spiritual leader, Mahatma Gandhi, and India's only female prime minister, Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1984. An Indian blogger, Samanth Subramanian, wrote of seeing the T-shirts in the stands: "I was about to point out the sheer cultural insensitivity of his T-shirt to the burly, tattooed, almost-twice-my-height gentleman wearing it, but I was suddenly called away to inspect the peeling paint on a plastic chair." But one of the Australians fans defended the slogan, arguing it referred to former SBS and ABC TV newsreader Indira Naidoo, rather than the former Indian PM, according to the Times of India. "The Mahatma bit is not in reference to Mahatma Gandhi," the fan said. "Mark Waugh and Shane Warne in 1995 got in trouble giving advice to a bookmaker for betting in cricket and the bookmakers name was Gupta, 'bets with Gupta' refers to that bookmaker. "In Australia we have a TV reporter called Indira Naidoo who is very popular and it was in her reference that the T-shirt has 'dancing with Indira' written on it. "All was harmless fun. We are on a tour to enjoy India, its culture, its people and cricket. So if we have offended anybody we apologise, but it was not intentional." The police officer said the group of Australian fans were released without charge. "The fans said the slogan had been given to them by one of their Sri Lankan friends. "They apologised before us, saying their intention was not to hurt anyone's sentiments. We let them off with a warning and sent them to their hotel to get their dresses changed."

[arkay]

What is the Indian media doing? They should make a hue and cry about this?