New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS) BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia issued a statement on the Australian cricketers’ molestation case and condemned the “unfortunate event.” Notably, two female Australian cricketers were molested by a motorcyclist in Indore when they were walking to a nearby cafe from their hotel.

The embarrassing act has sparked worldwide outrage. The Australian team, currently in Indore for a key group-stage match against South Africa, 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.

“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 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, but we will revamp it and we will ensure that no such things happen in future. We also hope everything will go smoothly for the remaining World Cup games,” Saikia told IANS.

Former India cricketer Reema Malhotra also spoke to IANS and shared her thoughts on the matter, saying: “This is unacceptable and should not happen again, because in India, our simple motto is Athithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God). That should be followed, and I hope that the culprit gets harsh punishment so that no other stupid person dares to repeat this in life. It should set an example for everyone who have similar sick mentality that women should be respected. I felt really bad and sad for what happened, but the bottom line is one has to make sure that it won’t happen again.”

–IANS

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