NEW DELHI (AFP) - India's football captain has refused to carry the Olympic torch when it arrives here this month to protest China's crackdown on unrest in Tibet, a report said Tuesday.

Bhaichung Bhutia, a Buddhist from northeastern Sikkim state, nestled between India, China and Nepal, said in a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that he wanted to "show my solidarity" with Tibetans.

"I sympathise with the Tibetan cause. I have many friends in Sikkim who follow Buddhism. This is my way of standing by the people of Tibet and their struggle," the forward later told the Times of India newspaper.

"I feel what's happening in Tibet is not right and in my small way I should show my solidarity," he said, adding his decision was "absolutely personal."

IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi, however, said he had not received any communication from Bhutia, the paper said.

The Olympic torch is due to arrive in India on April 17, and Bhutia was one of several athletes and personalities scheduled to take part in the India-leg of the international relay.

Bhutia, who was conferred India's third highest civilian honour for promoting football in a country where cricket is the ruling passion, has scored over 35 goals at international level.

In a career spanning 15 years, the 31-year-old Bhutia has played for England's Bury F.C. and Perak, the Malaysian championship club, as well as in top-rung domestic tournaments.

India, home to over 100,000 Tibetan refugees, has witnessed a string of demonstrations since protests first broke out over the border in Tibet on March 10, the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

Officials have not disclosed the route of the torch in India over fears of more protests.

Dubbed the "journey of harmony," the Olympic torch relay which was launched by Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing on Monday, is the longest ever, lasting 130 days and covering 137,000 kilometres (85,000 miles).

It will pass through 19 countries during April before returning to China on May 4.