Mumbai, Oct 25 (IANS) BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia on Saturday issued an official statement on the case of molestation of Australian women cricketers ahead of their Women’s ODI World Cup match in Indore, terming it as “a deeply regrettable and isolated incident”.

The news of the two unnamed female Australian cricketers being molested by a motorcyclist when they were walking to a nearby cafe from their hotel has sparked outrage and condemnation all over the country, with the BCCI, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, and former players terming it highly regrettable.

Saikia, in his official statement, condemned the incident in Indore that happened on Thursday.

“This is a deeply regrettable and isolated incident. India has always been known for its warmth, hospitality, and care towards all guests. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards such acts. We appreciate the swift and effective action taken by the Madhya Pradesh Police in apprehending the accused. The law will take its due course to ensure justice is served. We will also review our existing safety protocols and strengthen them further, if necessary, to ensure such incidents are not repeated,” Saikia said.

The Australian team is in Indore for a key group-stage match against South Africa, in which they romped to a seven-wicket victory at the Holkar Stadium, riding on a magical haul of seven wickets for 18 runs by Alana King.

The team is reportedly receiving extra security after the incident. This troubling event has overshadowed what has otherwise been a competitive Women’s World Cup, raising renewed international fears about the safety of women athletes in India.

Saikia had earlier told IANS that it was an unfortunate event and “should not have happened with any of the guests of the country”.

“This is a very unfortunate event that has taken place. Nobody expected this kind of thing to happen because India is such a hospitable country. This should not have happened with any of the guests of the country. So, we are extremely sorry for this incident, which is an unfortunate one.”

“We are also happy that the police have taken prompt action in nabbing the culprit at the earliest. I hope the law will take its course to punish the culprit who has been nabbed. We will also ensure that, although there is already a security ring within all the visiting teams during the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, we will revamp it, and we will ensure that no such things happen in the future. We also hope everything will go smoothly for the remaining World Cup games,” Saikia told IANS.

The police arrested the man involved in the incident on Khajrana Road on Thursday morning. The two cricketers exited their hotel and were heading to a café when a man on a motorcycle began to follow them, inappropriately touched one of them, and rode off.

The duo reached out to their team security officer, Danny Simmons, who then coordinated with local security liaison officers and arranged for a vehicle to assist.

CCTV footage, hotel records, and statements of security personnel related to the incident were examined, leading to the arrest of the accused, Aqeel Khan.

–IANS

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