MSCW orders action against Meghalaya coach, manager in cricketers' harassment case

The Meghalaya State Commission for Women (MSCW) has directed the Meghalaya Cricket Association (MCA) to initiate disciplinary action against an Under-23 women's cricket team coach and manager after finding that their conduct amounted to sexual harassment under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

The commission's June 5 order follows a complaint filed by six women cricketers, who accused coach Hemant Roy and assistant manager Sanjay Mondal of verbal harassment, inappropriate remarks and private communication through WhatsApp.

According to the MSCW, the players had first raised the matter with MCA officials in December last year, but no action was taken. The cricketers later approached the commission in May, prompting a formal inquiry.

After examining testimonies, documentary evidence, emails and WhatsApp records, the commission concluded that the conduct of both officials constituted sexual harassment under the POSH Act.

The MSCW has directed the MCA to suspend Roy from coaching duties for three months and ensure that he is not assigned to women's teams in future. The commission also ordered that he be issued a written warning, stating that any repeat of similar behaviour could lead to termination.

For Mondal, the commission recommended termination from his role as assistant manager and directed him to issue a written apology to the complainants. Both officials have also been barred from contacting or approaching the players involved in the case.

MSCW chairperson Iamonlang Syiem said the findings were based on evidence submitted by both sides and material collected during the inquiry.

The order comes amid wider scrutiny of the MCA's handling of the complaints. Earlier, the commission sought explanations from former MCA president Nababrata Bhattacharjee, former treasurer Dhrubajyoti Thakuria and secretary Rayonald Kharkamni over the alleged failure to act after the complaints were first reported.

MCA president James PK Sangma, who assumed office in January, has maintained that he was not informed about the December complaints and alleged that attempts were made to suppress the matter.

Last month, Sangma said he would seek intervention from the Meghalaya High Court after Kharkamni allegedly moved to suspend the functioning of the association's independent Ombudsman a day after the women cricketers filed a sexual harassment complaint before the office.

According to Sangma, the Ombudsman's office was informed on May 9 that it should not function until further procedures were completed, despite the complaint having been lodged a day earlier. He described the move as unconstitutional and warned against efforts to derail the inquiry.

The controversy has also drawn attention to the MCA's handling of grievance mechanisms. Sangma said the Ombudsman's post had remained vacant after 2024, leaving players without an independent forum to pursue complaints until retired Gauhati High Court judge Justice (Retd.) BD Agarwal was appointed to the role in March this year.

The MSCW has also examined the conduct of former MCA officials over the six-month delay in responding to the allegations. The findings against Roy and Mondal mark the first formal outcome in the case, which has triggered wider questions about accountability and player safety within Meghalaya cricket.