The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has become the talk of the town across the country after it came to light that Kerala witnessed a new era in women’s cricket with the launch of its own franchise-based cricket league.
However, amid this rise, a horrifying truth has come to light with former KCA coach M. Manu POCSO being arrested on charges of sexual harassment.
Manu POCSO was appointed as a coach of KCA when a girl filed a complaint against him alleging that he sexually harassed her.
More girls then levelled allegations against him and so far six girls have filed a police complaint.
“Manu is a habitual offender and has used his position as a coach to sexually abuse minors,” a girl’s parents told The Hindu. “He would seduce and groom children for his sexual desires all the time. He exploited the children’s passion for the sport and told them they had to cooperate with him to succeed.
“When net practice was going on at the KCA headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, he would sneak the victims into the gym to perform obscene acts.
“The gym and rest rooms were the only places that did not have CCTV cameras and he knew this very well.
“The KCA is protecting him because he is associated with a cricket club owned by a KCA official. Despite complaints, the KCA has not taken any action against Manu. The statement of the KCA that it was not aware of the matter until the police came to its premises for investigation is false.”
The incident also highlights the failure of the KCA, which was the protector of Manu POCSO, to stand up to the accused for its role in protecting the accused.
At the press conference, KCA president Jayesh George and secretary Vinod S. Kumar denied that they were protecting the offender and that the association was cooperating with the Kerala police in the investigation.
The Hindu spoke to Vinod and he responded to the allegations against him and the KCA. As we have often seen in the past, cases of sexual harassment in sports take time to come to light.
Amidst this controversy, time and again we hear that such incidents are covered up in the cricket field and victims do not get justice.
The incident is also a wake-up call for Indian women’s cricket, that they too need to pay more serious attention to the issue of respect and safety.
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