Dhaka, Nov 7 (IANS) The chairman of the women’s wing of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Abdur Razzak, said on Friday that they will investigate the recent allegation made by former national skipper Jahanara Alam about being sexually harassed during the 2022 World Cup with utmost sincerity and will seek help of government’s law enforcement agencies in this regard, a report has claimed.

The sexual harassment allegations put up by Jahanara in an exclusive chat with Riasat Azim on his YouTube channel have shaken the country’s sporting fraternity, prompting BCB to form an investigation committee after they were severely criticized from every corner, the report said.

“We are treating this matter with seriousness and focusing on having a thorough investigation, considering it is not just about one cricketer, rather it’s a question of the honour of women’s cricket as a whole,” Razzak told Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net) on Friday.

“We will certainly decide what needs to be done. Currently, our BCB president, Bulbul (Aminul Islam) bhai, is abroad, and as soon as he returns, we will sit and speak with him and take a decision regarding our next course of action,” he said.

“If necessary, we will seek help from government agencies to complete the investigation, considering we don’t want to leave any stone unturned as far as this investigation is concerned,” he said. “We must ensure women’s cricket is played in a safe environment, considering that if that is not the case, our future looks very difficult as people will not have the trust to send their daughters or relatives to try their luck as cricketers,” he added.

The 32-year-old pacer, who is currently staying in Australia, accused former women’s wing selector and manager Manjurul Islam of sexually harassing her during the 2022 Women’s World Cup in South Africa.

Jahanara alleged that Manjurul made an indecent proposal to her, and when she refused to listen, he started misbehaving with her. She also claimed Sarfaraz Babu, an employee of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, proposed to her on behalf of the late Towhid Mahmud.

Jahanara added that Manjurul made inappropriate physical contact and often hugged or pressed female players to his chest under the pretext of encouragement, which she felt was not appropriate and scary, the report claimed.

Jahanara, who took 48 wickets in ODIs and 60 in T20s across 135 white-ball matches for her country, added that she had previously written to the Bangladesh Cricket Board regarding her observation, but that went in vain as no action had been taken despite her plea to look into the matter.

Bangladesh’s sports advisor, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, announced that the government will give all support to Jahanara and punish those involved in harassing her sexually.

–IANS

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