THE director and two officers at Blackburn's Racial Equality Council have been suspended following allegations of misconduct.

The trio, who were working to promote racial harmony in the borough, will be the subject of two separate investigations.

Director Abdul Hamid Chowdry has been accused of improper conduct.

The two female officers, one of whom had been seconded from Blackburn with Darwen Council to work on racial harassment issues, each face an allegation of assault in the REC offices in St John's Place.

Phil Watson, chief executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council, which part-funds the REC, said: "The council is conducting a joint investigation, and in light of this it does not feel it appropriate to comment further at this stage."

Councillor Colin Rigby, the leader of the Conservative group on Blackburn Council, who chairs the REC's personnel committee, said: "Two officers have been suspended following an alleged incident on July 11. An investigation into this is under way. In a separate incident, on advice from the chairman, Mr Chowdry was suspended on July 15."

Mr Chowdry has since reported sick.

Councillor Rigby said: "We can't proceed on this issue until he can come back. But we wish to resolve the matter as soon as possible." He added that the investigation into an alleged fight between two officers was expected to be concluded early next month.

Councillor Rigby added: "The REC must continue to do its work, whatever happens to the people involved in the present disputes. We have a large Asian population with lots and lots of problems."

Chairman Dr Salim Najia is away on holiday. No members of the REC's executive board would comment. One said: "We have been told not to say anything."

The REC in Blackburn was set up following the 1976 Race Relations Act. Its brief is to promote racial equality and tackle discrimination. Blackburn with Darwen Council provides 15 per cent of its funds. The main contributor is the publicly-funded Commission for Racial Equality.

A CRE spokesman in London said RECs like that in Blackburn ran autonomously with their own paid directors.

He said: "We provide a third of the funding and monitor councils to make sure we are getting value for money. But we do not get involved in employment matters. That is a matter for the REC's own management."

A former member of the organisation, Councillor Azhar Ali, leader of Pendle Borough Council, confirmed he resigned from the REC several weeks ago, before the alleged incidents.

Mr Chowdry was unavailable for comment.