During the 2022 World Cup, former Bangladesh captain Jahanara Alam said that the national team management made lewd suggestions to her. Jahanara Alam, who is currently residing in Australia after taking a break for mental health concerns, claimed that Manjurul Islam, a former speed bowler who served as the women’s manager and selector, prevented her from shining in the national colors because she was unwilling to accept his lewd request.
By insisting that he also proposed him through Sarfaraz Babu, a Bangladesh Cricket Board employee, she further blamed the late Towhid Mahmud. Jahanara Alam also said that Nadel Chowdhury, the former head of the women’s committee, was powerless to stop Manjurul from harassing her, and that Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the CEO of the BCB, ignored her when she told him about it.
“I repeatedly encountered (indecent proposal), but never once. Even if we would like to, we are definitely unable to voice our opinions on many issues when we are part of the team. Jahanara Alam was cited on Thursday by The Riasat Azim You Tube channel as saying, “When you are known by a small number of people, you cannot say or protest many things even if you want to.”
“Look, my family is cricket in the end, and I will surely talk about it. I’ll talk so that perhaps ten more girls will wish to make a safe return, just like I did. Perhaps ten females would argue that it’s not necessary and that everyone should be free to do as they choose, but after all, there are both good and evil things in the world. For those ten girls, I want a lovely setting where they can play cricket in safety, at the very least,” Jahanara Alam stated.
Through Babu Bhai (Coordinator Sarfraz Babu), Touhid Bhai reached out to me in 2021. This is something I’ve mentioned before. I’m not sure why they mistreated me. To keep this in check and play cricket successfully, I made a lot of efforts. Although I was officially exempt, Manju Bhai began to mistreat, degrade, and abuse me the following day. I wasn’t accustomed to this kind of humiliation, either.
“Touhid Bhai never came up to me directly; instead, he went through Babu Bhai. And I referred to my letter as a “Observation Letter,” not a “Complaint Letter,” when I delivered it to the CEO a year and a half later. ‘Observation Letter.’ I went. In my letter to the CEO, I covered every detail of the situations that occurred. I was instructed to “look after Touhid Sir” by Babu Bhai. “What is there for me to look after regarding him?” I asked. He’s merely the boss.
What am I responsible for in relation to him? Currently, he holds the position after the Chairman, making him the highest authority. What am I responsible for in relation to him? By acting as though I was unaware of the specifics of the idea, I was able to dodge it in theory. I’m posting this so that other girls will be able to cope with it in the same way if they do. This was the beginning of Manju Bhai’s nasty behavior,” Jahanara Alam claimed.
After that, during the 2022 World Cup, Manju Bhai gave me the second proposal. I felt compelled to report the instances that occurred to the BCB throughout the previous year and a half. To whom shall I report? I told my cricket family’s leader, Nadel Sir, in several ways over the course of a year and a half. Manju Bhai would be okay for a day or two after he offered a temporary fix, and then the same would apply. “I even told Sir, the CEO,” she claimed.
“After that, Manju came up to me. New Zealand hosted the World Cup, which I attended. I don’t remember the precise time, but the pre-camp session was scheduled for the fifth or sixth day. I was in the nets bowling on the fifth or sixth day. He got close to my shoulder. Furthermore, he has a propensity of grabbing any girl by the shoulder. So he clamped down on my shoulder. In the past, Monju Bhai would cradle us to his chest, keep us close, and put his mouth close to our ears. He is rather tall. He used to talk while bending close to the ear.
Occasionally, in both joyful and sorrowful circumstances, dad would take our head and place it on his chest. As we shake hands in line, he would grab everyone and bring them to his chest, something you may or may not have witnessed in previous World Cup matches. So, what did we do? We would avoid going there by holding out our hands from a distance. We used to joke about it, saying things like, “Oh, he is coming, he will take us to his chest now,” but we were also afraid of it behind the scenes. So, these were topics that girls used to discuss,” Jahanara Alam remarked.
“He approached me, asked, ‘How many days is your period running today?’ before placing his hand on my shoulder once more and bringing his mouth close to my head. Because he already knows the answer, he is asking this question directly. Because the doctor who teaches us, the physiotherapist, or the doctor generally gathers period dates from each squad in accordance with ICC criteria. And in order to keep the girls safe, protected, and their cycles in check, every international women’s team uses an app for this.
Our physiotherapists typically maintain these records for this reason. His headache was really bad. He requested in a strong manner, which is not typical of a manager or selection. I’m not sure what need he had. When I replied, “Bhaiya, five days,” he asked me his second question. It was five days, he said. Is anyone like this all the time? A day earlier should have been the end of yours. ‘Sorry, Bhaiya, I didn’t understand,’ I muttered, fixed my gaze on his face.
“Yours should have been over by now,” he added. Is this the longest period anyone has ever had? I must take care of my side as well, so please let me know when your cycle is over. Then I looked at him, and he said, ‘What?’ I apologize, Bhaiya, for not understanding.
Thus, he stated, “It should have ended after five days.” You must take care of my side as well. If your menstruation lasts thus long, you must also take care of my side. I apologized, saying, “Bhaiya, I didn’t understand your point.” He stated, “There isn’t much to comprehend.” Tell me when you’re done having periods. “You must understand that you must take care of my side as well,” Jahanara Alam replied.
In response, Manjurul brushed off all of the accusations as unfounded. While in China, Manjurul told Cricbuzz, “What can I say apart from terming it as baseless?” “You can ask other cricketers whether I was good or bad,” he said.
Babu claimed she was fabricating stories with no basis in reality. “She is dragging a dead man, which is unfortunate. I just want her to provide evidence instead of making unfounded accusations,” Babu, who is currently employed at the BCB women’s wing, stated.
Officials from the BCB stated that they are fully aware of the situation and will conduct an investigation if needed. BCB vice-chairman Shakhawat Hossain said Cricbuzz, “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,” after he made the news.
India
