The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has launched an official investigation following serious sexual harassment allegations made by former national team captain Jahanara Alam. The veteran pacer, who now resides in Australia, has claimed that a former selector and some board officials behaved inappropriately towards her during the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup.
In response, the BCB announced the formation of a special committee to look into the accusations. The committee has been given 15 working days to submit its findings and recommendations.
This latest controversy comes just days after Jahanara accused Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana of mistreating teammates. The BCB, however, dismissed those claims as ‘baseless.’
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has noted with concern the allegations reported in the media made by a former member of the Bangladesh national women’s cricket team regarding alleged misconduct by certain individuals associated with the team. As the matter is of a sensitive nature, the BCB has decided to form a committee to investigate the allegations thoroughly.
“The committee will submit its findings and recommendations within 15 working days. The BCB is committed to ensuring a safe, respectful, and professional environment for all its players and personnel. The Board takes such matters with utmost seriousness and will take appropriate action based on the findings of the investigation,” the board said in a late-night statement.
Jahanara has alleged that a former selector made lewd remarks and advances toward her, and that a few other officials also acted inappropriately. She said she had reported the matter to former BCB director Shafiul Islam Nadel and the board’s CEO, Nizamuddin Chowdhury.
“I faced (indecent proposal) several times, not once. Definitely, when we are involved with the team, we cannot speak out about many things, even if we want to. When it comes to your bread and butter, when you are known by a few people, you cannot say or protest many things even if you want to,” Jahanara told
She said her decision to speak out was driven by a desire to protect young and future players of the country. “Ultimately cricket is my family, and I will definitely speak. I will speak so that maybe 10 more girls will want to return safely, just as I survived and returned. I want a beautiful environment for those 10 girls, and for them to play cricket safely in a safe environment, at least.”
Recalling how the harassment began, she said, “In 2021, Touhid Bhai approached me through Babu Bhai (Coordinator Sarfraz Babu). Why they misbehaved with me, I do not know. I tried a lot to suppress this and play cricket well. But when I technically avoided it, Manju Bhai started misbehaving, humiliating and insulting me since the next day.”
She continued, “Touhid Bhai never approached me directly; he used Babu Bhai to approach me. After a year and a half, I gave my letter to the CEO, calling it an ‘Observation Letter.’ I mentioned everything A to Z in the letter. Babu Bhai told me to ‘look after Touhid Sir.’ I technically avoided it, pretending I didn’t understand the details of the proposal. I am sharing this so that if any girl deals with this later, they can deal with it this way, too. This is how Manju Bhai’s bad behavior started.”
Jahanara said the inappropriate behavior continued during the 2022 ODI World Cup. “Next, I got the second proposal from Manju Bhai during the 2022 World Cup. It seemed to me that I needed to inform the BCB about the incidents that happened to me over the past year and a half. I informed Nadel Sir, the head of my cricket family, countless times in many ways. He would provide a temporary solution, and Manju Bhai would be fine for a day or two and later the same. I even informed the CEO Sir.”
Jahanara last played an international game in December 2024. In 52 ODIs, she has picked up 48 wickets at an average of 30.39. In 83 T20Is, she has scalped 60 wickets at an economy of 5.69. She said she chose to come forward publicly so that her experience could inspire change within women’s cricket. “I will speak so that maybe 10 more girls will want to return safely, just as I survived and returned,” she said.
(Quotes sourced from The Riasat Azim YouTube channel)
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