Students from the Northeast and Darjeeling allegedly faced racial slurs and had stones and slippers hurled at them during a football match between North East United FC and East Bengal FC at Kolkatas Vivekananda Yuba Bharati stadium, locally known as Salt Lake stadium, Tuesday.According to students who spoke to The Indian Express, an hour after the Durand Cup semi final ended, they had to be escorted out by the Army and the police. After a 2-2 score at the end of the match, East Bengal had won the game in penalties.An official complaint is yet to be lodged by the students. Calls to Gaurav Sharma, Commissioner of Bidhannagar police commissionerate, went unanswered.Said a Defence spokesperson, Adequate security measures were in place like in all the matches and separate stands are earmarked for fans of both teams. Emotions run high in matches, especially in closely competed ones. Phone numbers of both police and Army personnel are given to all the spectators and fans before the match. Both police and Army personnel are present during matches. That is why no untoward incident happened like injury to someone or damage to property.
Raja Guha, a member of the working committee of East Bengal Cub, said: I was there on the field yesterday. I did not see anything like this. Players of both teams were cordial. But I will look into the matter.
Mandar Tamhane, the North East United CEO, did not receive phone calls.
As purported videos of the incident went viral, The Indian Express spoke to a number of students, who wished to remain anonymous.
A postgraduate student from Darjeeling recalled: It all started in the metro, on our way to the stadium. My friends and I were called names like corona and momo by East Bengal supporters. We did not pay much heed to it at the time.
According to the students, it was when North East United scored their first goal that trouble started. East Bengal fans allegedly lobbed water bottles, slippers and even stones while continuing to shout racial slurs.
There were about 80 to 90 students from the Northeast and Darjeeling who were watching the game from ramp 16. The moment a goal was scored by our team, the crowd started shouting abuses. They called us momo, chowmein, corona and made obscene gestures, alleged a student.
There were women students with us too. After the second goal, stones and slippers were pelted at us from above and both sides. Two of the students received minor injuries. We were all scared. Police and Army men cordoned us and we moved under the covered area of the stadium for safety. East Bengal fans kept calling us outside, said another student from Kalimpong.
An hour after the game ended and everyone left the stadium, we were escorted out by the police and Army and taken home. It was just a game. I am not sure whether I will ever go to a football match in Kolkata again, said a student.
Durand Cup, one of the oldest football tournaments in Asia, is being hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society in cooperation with AIFF, Eastern Command of Indian Army and the government of West Bengal, supported by the government of Assam.