By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 24: Sexual harassment allegations involving Meghalaya’s Under-23 women’s cricket team have exposed a deepening internal rift within the Meghalaya Cricket Association (MCA), revealing serious administrative discord between its top officials.
The controversy, currently under inquiry by the Meghalaya State Commission for Women (MSCW), has highlighted a breakdown in coordination between MCA President James PK Sangma and Honorary Secretary Rayonald Kharkamni.
The friction became evident through two conflicting player lists issued on March 31 for the Under-23 Women’s NECDC tournament in Sikkim. A list signed by Kharkamni named Baiahunlang Mylliemngap as team manager, removing Sanjay Mandal, the individual against whom the harassment complaint was lodged. However, a second list issued the same day and signed by Sangma retained Mandal as the team manager.
Interestingly, while the MCA president alleged in a statement that the accused manager was included in the contingent despite prior knowledge of the complaints, it was the list signed by Sangma himself that featured Mandal’s name.
The development follows allegations that sexual harassment complaints raised by members of the Under-23 team were “brushed under the carpet.” In a statement on Saturday, Sangma described the episode as an “institutional failure,” claiming he was never informed of the complaints after assuming office on January 13. He named Kharkamni, former MCA president Nababrata Bhattacharjee, former treasurer Dhrubajyoti Thakuria, and former cricket operations manager Shining Star Lyngdoh as those who failed to act.
Conversely, Kharkamni claimed he only became aware of the full extent of the matter after receiving summons from the women’s commission. He stated that one complaint was lodged on December 3 last year during the MCA election period, involving allegations of uncomfortable remarks made by the team manager. Kharkamni maintained that he had removed the manager from duty pending an inquiry, only to find the official’s name reinstated in the president’s list.
Kharkamni also noted that the MCA has no official record of a second complaint allegedly signed by 15 women cricketers regarding incidents during a tournament in Agartala. The women’s commission has directed Kharkamni, Bhattacharjee, Thakuria, and Lyngdoh to appear before it on May 26.
The controversy coincides with further administrative instability. The MCA recently filed an FIR with the CID Cyber Cell after its official email account was allegedly hacked, raising concerns over the potential misuse of correspondence with the BCCI. Additionally, sources indicate that MCA employees have not received salaries for five months due to the association’s bank accounts being frozen.
The BCCI is reportedly monitoring the ongoing developments within the association.
