Former Bangladesh women’s cricket captain Jahanara Alam has submitted a written statement to the investigation committee regarding her sexual harassment allegations.
Jahanara’s lawyer confirmed in a team press release on Thursday that the statement was submitted on 4 December. She had previously requested extra time to respond. The committee was initially tasked with submitting its report within 15 days, a deadline that expired last month. Following Jahanara’s request, the timeline was extended to 20 December.
The press release stated that, due to the sensitive and confidential nature of the allegations, the contents of her statement will not be disclosed.
Jahanara, 32, is currently on a break from cricket for mental health reasons and is based in Australia.
On 6 November, she publicly raised serious sexual harassment allegations on freelance journalist Riasad Azim’s channel. The main accusation is against former women’s team manager and selector Manjurul Islam, whom she claims harassed her through sexual misconduct and inappropriate behaviour. She also alleged that, via a third party, the late women’s wing official Touhid Mahmud made indecent proposals.
Earlier, Jahanara had also spoken to a national daily about issues of grouping, bias, and disrespectful conduct within the women’s team.
She further claimed that in 2022 she submitted a detailed written complaint regarding sexual harassment to BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury, but no action was taken. Officials at the Bangladesh Cricket Board have not acknowledged the complaint.
On 8 November, BCB formed an initial three-member investigation committee to probe the allegations, later expanding it to five members.
