The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has pledged “zero tolerance” as it continued an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations made by ex-women’s captain Jahanara Alam against former and serving officials, according to media reports.
Last week in an interview with The Riasat Azim YouTube channel, the 32-year-old pacer accused then selector and team manager Manjurul Islam and other officials of sexual harassment.
She detailed multiple incidents spanning from 2021 through the 2022 Women’s World Cup, which she said left her mentally distressed and ultimately sidelined from the national setup, according to cricexec.
Manjurul, who is currently in China, rejected the allegations as “baseless”.
According to the Times of India, BCB President Aminul Islam said on Sunday during a press briefing that the board would act firmly once the investigation concludes, adding that the committee should be given time to complete its work.
He reaffirmed that no one — be it coach, director or staff member— was above the law, nor did any position within the board hold immunity.
“Even the Prime Minister of this country isn’t exempt from such rules. We’re just ordinary directors. If I go and harass someone, and it’s proven to be true, then I’m just an ordinary director not above the law,” Times of India quoted him as saying.
The news outlet said that the board has constituted a three-member inquiry panel headed by retired Justice Tariq ul Hakim, with Rubaba Dowla, a newly appointed BCB director, and Barrister Sarwat Siraj Shukla, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court, as members.
The committee has been given 15 working days to submit its report.
Meanwhile, as per a Cricbuzz report, the BCB has placed four officials linked to women’s cricket on special duty pending the inquiry.
While affirming the board’s zero-tolerance stance, Aminul also emphasised the need for a fair process.
“If the allegations are true, they will not be tolerated. But since such investigations touch upon personal lives, it can harm those falsely accused. So they should be given five to seven days to defend themselves,” he said.
The BCB’s official statement echoed the same sentiment: “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.”
Despite the mental toll it took on her, Jahanara said she felt a responsibility to protect the other female cricketers, who allegedly also had similar experiences but were afraid to speak up due to professional repercussions.
Aside from Manjurul, she named other BCB officials, and said that she had previously written to the board, but that no action had been taken.
Jahanara took 48 wickets in ODIs, and 60 in T20s, across 135 white-ball matches for her country.
Manjurul, 46, a former left-arm seamer, played 12 Tests and 34 ODIs for Bangladesh between 1999 and 2004, before serving in various coaching and managerial roles.
