Jahanara Alam alleges sexual harassment during 2022 WC
Former Bangladesh skipper Jahanara Alam alleged that she received indecent proposals from the national team management during the 2022 World Cup. Jahanara, who took a break for mental health reasons and is currently living in Australia, accused that former pace bowler Manjurul Islam, who was acting as the women's selector and manager, did not let her shine in national colours as she was not ready to accept his indecent proposal.
She also pointed finger at the late Towhid Mahmud as she insisted that he also proposed him through Sarfaraz Babu, an employee of the Bangladesh Cricket Board. Jahanara added that former women's committee head Nadel Chowdhury could not stop Manjurul from harassing her while BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury did not pay any heed when she informed about it.
"I faced several times (indecent proposal) 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 better, when you are known by a few people, you cannot say or protest many things even if you want to," Jahanara was quoted in The Riasat Azim You Tube channel on Thursday.
"Look, 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. Maybe 10 girls will think, 'It's not necessary, let everyone do whatever they want,' but the world is made up of good and bad, right? I want a beautiful environment for those 10 girls, and for them to play cricket safely in a safe environment, at least," she said.
"In 2021, Touhid Bhai approached me through Babu Bhai (Coordinator Sarfraz Babu). I have said this in various places. 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. And I was not actually used to such humiliation.
"Touhid Bhai never approached me directly; he used Babu Bhai to approach me. And when, after a year and a half, I gave my letter to the CEO, I called it an 'Observation Letter,' not a 'Complaint Letter.' I said 'Observation Letter.' I mentioned everything A to Z in the letter to the CEO on the incidents that happened. Babu Bhai told me to 'look after Touhid Sir.' So I said, 'What is there for me to look after regarding him? He is just the in-charge. What is there for me to look after regarding him? He is the highest authority, or now he is in the post after the Chairman. What is there for me to look after regarding him?' I technically avoided it this way, 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," she said.
"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. Who should I inform? Nadel Sir, the head of my cricket family, I informed him countless times over the year and a half 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," she said.
"Next, he (Manju) approached me. I went to the World Cup, in New Zealand. We were supposed to have a pre-camp, and the session was on the fifth or sixth day, I don't remember the exact time. On the fifth or sixth day, I was bowling in the nets. He came near my shoulder. And his habit is that he grabs any girl's shoulder. So he grabbed my shoulder. Monju Bhai used to hold and press us to his chest, hold us tight, and bring his mouth near our ears. He is very tall. He used to bend down near the ear and then talk. And sometimes, whenever there was a happy or sad situation, he would take our head and press it against his chest. Maybe you have seen or not seen in some World Cup matches, when we shake hands in the line, instead of shaking hands, he would grab everyone and take them to his chest. So what did we do? We would extend our hands from a little distance so we wouldn't have to go there. We used to be scared about this behind the scenes, but we also used to joke about it, 'Oh, he is coming, he will take us to his chest now.' So girls used to talk about these things," she said.
"He came to me and took my hand, again put his hand on my shoulder, brought his mouth near my head, and said, 'How many days is your period running today?' He is directly asking this because he already has the information. Because normally, based on ICC guidelines, the doctor who gives us classes, the physiotherapist or doctor collects period dates from every team. And every international women's team uses an app for this, so that the girls remain secure, safe, and their cycles remain okay. That's why normally our physios always keep these records. He had a big headache. Being a selector, being a manager, I don't know what need he had, but he forcefully asked in a different way, which is not normal. And his second question was, when I said, 'Bhaiya, five days'. He said: 'Five days? Does anyone stay like this? Yours should have ended a day earlier.' So I looked at him directly, staring at his face, and I said, 'Sorry, Bhaiya, I didn't understand.'
"He said, 'Yours should have ended by now. Does anyone have a period for this long? And when your period is over, tell me, because I have to look after my side too, right?' Then I looked at him, and after looking, he said, 'What?' 'I am sorry, Bhaiya, I didn't understand.' So he said, 'Five days, it should have ended. You have to look after my side too. If you have a period for this long... you have to look after my side too.' So, I said, 'Bhaiya, sorry, I didn't understand your point.' He said, 'There is nothing much to understand. When your period is over, tell me. You have to look after my side too; you have to understand this,'" she said.
When contacted, Manjurul dismissed all the allegations as baseless. "What can I say apart from terming it as baseless," said Manjurul to Cricbuzz, who is currently in China. "You can ask other cricketers whether I was good or bad," he added.
Babu said that she is making made-up stories and there is no truth behind it. "It's unfortunate she is dragging a dead man I just want her to come up with proof instead of making baseless accusations," said Babu, who is currently working in BCB women's wing.
BCB officials said that they are well aware about the development and if required they will have an investigation. "The allegations are quite serious and so we have to sit and decide what should be our next course of action and if required we will certainly have an investigation," BCB vice-chairman Shakhawat Hossain told Cricbuzz when his attention was drawn to this.
