Bangladesh’s leading female shooter Kamrun Nahar Kolly has been temporarily suspended from all shooting-related activities by the Bangladesh Shooting Sport Federation, on the same day that the National Sports Council (NSC) relieved a senior federation official amid allegations of harassment.
The federation confirmed that a letter was sent on 1 January to Kolly’s club, the Navy Shooting Club, informing them of the decision. In the notice, signed by general secretary Ferdous Ara Khanam, Kolly was accused of breaching several clauses of the federation’s code of conduct during a training camp run by the federation.
As a result, she has been suspended with immediate effect until further notice and issued a show-cause notice, asking her to explain within three working days why she should not face permanent suspension. The matter has also been communicated to the Bangladesh Olympic Association, as Kolly is an athlete under the Olympic scholarship programme.
The suspension came on the same day that the NSC relieved GM Haider Sazzad, the federation’s joint general secretary, from his post. The decision was made under the National Sports Council Act 2018 and was confirmed in an order signed by NSC executive director Md Daulatuzzaman Khan. The order took immediate effect.
Sazzad had been facing allegations of sexual and mental harassment made by multiple female shooters, including Kamrun Nahar Kolly. He has denied the allegations, describing them as fabricated.
Concerns over Sazzad’s role within the federation had existed since the formation of the ad hoc committee, with shooters objecting to his appointment despite the absence of a recommendation from the search committee. Over time, allegations of abuse led to protests, human chains and legal action.
Separate investigation committees were formed by the NSC and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to examine the complaints. It has been alleged that Sazzad failed to cooperate fully with the NSC investigation committee led by Nibedita Das, providing oral testimony on 17 December but not responding to written questions.
Sources indicated that the NSC decided to remove Sazzad even before the submission of the final investigation report, as his continued presence within the federation during the probe had caused growing dissatisfaction among shooters.
No immediate reaction was available from Kamrun Nahar Kolly regarding her suspension.
