'He Grabs Any Girl's Shoulder, Take Our Head And Press It Against His Chest...': Former Bangladesh Captain Alleges

Former Bangladesh women’s team captain Jahanara Alam has come forward with shocking allegations, claiming that she faced indecent proposals from members of the national team management during the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup. The veteran pacer, who is currently living in Australia after stepping away from the national setup for mental health reasons, accused former Bangladesh pacer Manjurul Islam, who served as women’s team selector and manager, of trying to exploit her position in exchange for opportunities.

According to Jahanara, Manjurul allegedly prevented her from performing and growing in the national setup after she refused to accept his advances.

She further alleged that the late Towhid Mahmud also tried to approach her through BCB employee Sarfaraz Babu. She added that then women’s committee head Nadel Chowdhury was unable to stop the harassment, while Bangladesh Cricket Board CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury did not act even after being informed.

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“I Faced It Several Times” – Jahanara Opens Up

Speaking on The Riasat Azim YouTube channel, Jahanara said she endured repeated incidents and felt unable to speak out earlier due to fear of losing her cricketing career.

"I faced several times (indecent proposal) not once. Definitely, when we are involved with the team, we cannot speak out about many things, even if we want to. When it comes to your bread and better, when you are known by a few people, you cannot say or protest many things even if you want to."

The 31-year-old said she decided to speak now so future players do not face similar situations.

"Look, ultimately cricket is my family, and I will definitely speak. I will speak so that maybe 10 more girls will want to return safely, just as I survived and returned."

The First Alleged Incident

Jahanara claimed that the first instance occurred in 2021, when Touhid Mahmud allegedly conveyed an indirect proposal through Sarfaraz Babu.

She said she refused and tried to avoid the situation by pretending not to understand the suggestion. However, she said this led to a change in behaviour from Manjurul, who allegedly began to humiliate and mistreat her.

“This is how Manju Bhai's bad behavior started,” she said.

She later submitted what she referred to as an “Observation Letter” to the BCB CEO, documenting the instances, though she avoided calling it a formal complaint.

Alleged Incident During the 2022 World Cup

Jahanara claimed that a second proposal came from Manjurul during the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand. She described uncomfortable physical contact and comments about her menstrual cycle.

"He came near my shoulder. And his habit is that he grabs any girl's shoulder... He used to bend down near the ear and then talk... we used to be scared about this behind the scenes."

She alleged that Manjurul approached her during training and made invasive comments:

"How many days is your period running today?"

"Five days? Does anyone stay like this? Yours should have ended a day earlier... When your period is over, tell me, because I have to look after my side too, right?"

According to Jahanara, she continued to avoid engaging with these remarks by responding, "Sorry, Bhaiya, I didn't understand."

Accused Officials Respond

When contacted by Cricbuzz, Manjurul Islam denied the allegations.

"What can I say apart from terming it as baseless... You can ask other cricketers whether I was good or bad."

Sarfaraz Babu also rejected the claims:

"It's unfortunate she is dragging a dead man. I just want her to come up with proof instead of making baseless accusations."

BCB Considers Investigation

The Bangladesh Cricket Board acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations.

BCB vice-chairman Shakhawat Hossain said:

"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."

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