Indian HQ attacked

More than 50 Hindu militants ransacked the headquarters of the Indian cricket board in Bombay yesterday, sparking fresh fears over the fate of Pakistan's upcoming tour of India.

Activists from the militant Shiv Sena party forced their way into the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the Brabourne stadium in Bombay and smashed up the offices, breaking filing cabinets, cupboards and ceiling fans, and cutting telephone wires.

The Shiv Sena, which has vowed to disrupt the tour in protest at Pakistan's support for a Muslim insurgency in Kashmir, has already

succeeded in having the venue for the first Test changed after its members dug up the pitch in New Delhi.

BCCI executive secretary Sharad Diwadkar, one of six board employees in the building at the time of the attack, was slapped and manhandled by the militants.

"What could I do?" Diwadkar said. "There were 20 of them in my office. I just put my head down."

The party also tried to storm into the house of International Cricket Council president Jagmohan Dalmiya in the eastern city of Calcutta yesterday but all 21 activists were arrested by police.

Pakistan, who last played a Test in India in March 1987, are due to arrive on Thursday for a two-Test series, the Asian Test championship opener against the hosts and a one-day series also featuring Sri Lanka.

Pakistan announced on Sunday that the tour would go ahead, despite the Shiv Sena's threats of violence. Indian cricket board president Raj Singh Dungarpur added: "It is important we play Pakistan because it has the same value for us as the Ashes series between England and Australia."

The Pakistanis will be guarded around-the-clock by commandos, while bomb-disposal squads will be on 24-hour duty at all venues. Security personnel in plain clothes will mingle with the spectators, who may have to reach the ground at least two hours before the start of play. They will not be allowed to carry handbags containing food and water bottles.

"We are not leaving anything to chance," said Nikhil Kumar, a top Indian government security official.

Shiv Sena leaders warned earlier yesterday that they would be mobilising some 25,000 supporters during the tour, using them to infiltrate the crowds and disrupt matches.

Shiv Sena activists have also threatened to set themselves on fire in front of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's residence in New Delhi on the day the first Test starts.