Jahanara Alam Bangladesh Cricket Board in a statement on late Thursday announced that it has formed an investigation committee following sexual harassment allegations by Bangladeshi cricketer Jahanara Alam.
The board said the committee was instructed to submit its findings within 15 working days, reports bdnews24.com.
Jahanara made the allegations during an interview on the YouTube channel of freelance sports journalist Riasad Azim.
She has alleged that she was sexually harassed while playing for the national women's cricket team. Her accusations are directed at former selector and team manager Manjurul Islam, a former pacer for the men's national team, and the late Towhid Mahmud, who previously oversaw the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) women's department.
However, Abdur Razzak, the new head of the board's women's department, told bdnews24.com they are not placing much weight on comments from an "outsider" like Jahanara.
She has also accused several others connected to the team. The former captain says she received no remedy despite informing the board in detail of these incidents.
Jahanara is regarded as one of the pioneers of women's cricket in Bangladesh. For years, she was the leading force behind the team's pace attack. She has represented Bangladesh in 52 ODIs and 83 T20Is and is considered the country's most successful pace bowler in international cricket.
She has also captained the national side and remains the only Bangladeshi woman to have played in an overseas franchise league. The 32-year-old was last seen in national colours in December last year and is currently based in Australia, where she is pursuing a coaching course in Sydney while playing club cricket.
Jahanara said Monjurul made inappropriate proposals to her during the 2022 Women's World Cup in New Zealand. She accused him of sexual harassment, mental abuse and mistreatment after she rejected those advances.
She levelled similar allegations against Towhid Mahmud. At moments during the interview, she broke down in tears.
Jahanara said she had informed Shafiul Islam Chowdhury, then chairman of the women's department, several times. According to her, he offered only temporary solutions rather than taking meaningful action. She also said no steps were taken even after she sent a written account of the incidents to BCB CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.
She claimed that many players have faced similar behaviour but have remained silent out of fear. She also mentioned that a first-division cricketer had been sexually harassed.
After the interview was published, the allegations caused a stir through Bangladesh's cricket community and across social media.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the BCB said it had decided to form a committee to thoroughly investigate what it described as "sensitive" accusations, promising recommendations within 15 working days.
© 2025 - All Rights with The Financial Express
