<p>One of Britain's prominent Sikh politicians, Parmjit Dhanda, has told a probe panel inquiring into racism during elections that a pig's severed head was left outside his home.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The former Labour MP made the revelation to an all-party inquiry into electoral conduct in the UK, which is recording racist abuse suffered during election campaigns in the country.<br /><br />Dhanda's children found the pig's head on the front drive while they were playing outside, shortly after the 2010 general election in which the 41-year-old lost his Gloucester seat.<br /><br />MPs have been giving evidence about receiving abusive phone calls, death threats and dozens of letters and internet posts containing racist insults in the course of campaigning.<br /><br />The inquiry is also taking anonymous evidence from gay and lesbian MPs who were the subject of homophobic abuse, and ethnic minority women candidates who were targeted by Muslim fundamentalists.<br /><br />The parliamentary inquiry chairperson, Natascha Engel, Labour MP of North East Derbyshire, said she was shocked by the amount of abuse politicians had suffered during elections.<br /><br />"We set up this inquiry to see whether prejudice and discrimination during elections was a problem and I have been shocked to discover the extent of it and how extreme some of it is," she told The Sunday Times.<br /><br />Lee Scott, Conservative MP for Ilford North, who is Jewish, had a panic button installed at his home by police after he was confronted while he was out campaigning by young men who threatened to kill him.</p>
<p>One of Britain's prominent Sikh politicians, Parmjit Dhanda, has told a probe panel inquiring into racism during elections that a pig's severed head was left outside his home.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The former Labour MP made the revelation to an all-party inquiry into electoral conduct in the UK, which is recording racist abuse suffered during election campaigns in the country.<br /><br />Dhanda's children found the pig's head on the front drive while they were playing outside, shortly after the 2010 general election in which the 41-year-old lost his Gloucester seat.<br /><br />MPs have been giving evidence about receiving abusive phone calls, death threats and dozens of letters and internet posts containing racist insults in the course of campaigning.<br /><br />The inquiry is also taking anonymous evidence from gay and lesbian MPs who were the subject of homophobic abuse, and ethnic minority women candidates who were targeted by Muslim fundamentalists.<br /><br />The parliamentary inquiry chairperson, Natascha Engel, Labour MP of North East Derbyshire, said she was shocked by the amount of abuse politicians had suffered during elections.<br /><br />"We set up this inquiry to see whether prejudice and discrimination during elections was a problem and I have been shocked to discover the extent of it and how extreme some of it is," she told The Sunday Times.<br /><br />Lee Scott, Conservative MP for Ilford North, who is Jewish, had a panic button installed at his home by police after he was confronted while he was out campaigning by young men who threatened to kill him.</p>